UA's Budinger, Hill and Wise headed to NBA

Arizona junior forward Chase Budinger will forgo his senior season and enter the NBA draft, his father, Duncan, told the Arizona Daily Star this morning.

The move is irrevocable because Chase Budinger tested the draft process and returned to school last season, which is only allowed once.

Budinger and Jordan Hill will hold a joint news conference at McKale Center this week to discuss their departures for the NBA draft.

Hill is also expected to leave, since he is projected as a Top 5 pick in the June NBA draft.

UA guard Nic Wise said he will test the draft this year but not sign with an agent, so as to keep open an option to return to school.

Even with UA’s hiring of the well-regarded Sean Miller, Duncan Budinger said his son felt the timing was right to leave.

“It’s great that U of A got a coach like Sean Miller to start the next tradition, but with regard to Chase, it’s his time to go,” Duncan Budinger said. “The team accomplished some great things and the time is right. … The two most important things Chase wanted were to beat UCLA and to win at least one game in the NCAA tournament, and they did both things this year.”

Chase Budinger was considered a borderline first-round NBA draft pick last spring but decided an hour before the deadline to withdraw and return to Arizona.

This spring, Budinger is projected to be a mid to late first-round pick in the June draft, with Draft Express putting him at No. 25 in its latest projections.

Hill, a junior, is projected as the No. 3 overall pick by Draft Express.

While Budinger is battling flu-like symptoms this morning and was unavailable for comment, his father said he came back not only to improve his draft status but to play for then-coach Lute Olson.

After Olson retired suddenly on Oct. 23, Duncan Budinger said there were some initial concerns and adjustments to make under interim head coach Russ Pennell and associate head coach Mike Dunlap.

But before long, the team banded together under the interim staff, reached the NCAA Sweet 16 and won 21 games.

“The whole thought was to come back to improve his stock for future opportunities in the draft and … to play for Lute Olson,” Duncan Budinger said. “That didn’t happen but I can tell you the combination of Russ Pennell and Mike Dunlap worked out really well. The workouts that Mike did with Chase and Jordan were great.”

Budinger averaged 18.0 points, 6.2 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a junior. He started all 100 games he played for the Wildcats in his three-year career, totaling 1,697 points, 580 rebounds and 279 assists.