Budinger enters NBA draft, leaves Arizona early

Apr 7, 2009 - 11:55 PM TUCSON, Arizona (Ticker) -- While new coach Sean Miller is coming in, Chase Budinger's time at Arizona has ended early.

Budinger passed up on his final year of eligibility after declaring as an early entry for the NBA draft for the second time, the school announced Tuesday.

Budinger, who indicated that he has signed with an agent, declared his decision the same day that Miller was officially announced as the new coach.

The 6-7 junior forward went through the NBA draft process last season before ultimately returning to school, leading the Wildcats to their 25th straight appearance in the NCAA Tournament.

Budinger averaged 18.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists in 35 games with Arizona (21-14), garnering a first-team All-Pac-10 selection.

For his career, Budinger scored 1,697 points to finish 11th on the school's all-time list. The Pac-10 freshman of the year in 2007, he also ended up sixth in 3-pointers made (190) and ninth in scoring average (17.0) while starting all 100 games that he appeared in.

"I am so thankful for the fans and alumni at Arizona that have been so supportive of me throughout my time in Tucson," Budinger said. "I'd like to express my appreciation to my coaches and teammates for their support in one of the most important decisions I've ever made."

Budinger becomes the 12th Wildcat to declare early for the NBA since 1984, and third in the last three years - along with Marcus Williams (2007) and Jerryd Bayless (2008) - to not return.