Basketball Players of the Year
The Breitbard All-CIF boys basketball Player of the Year is a junior with All-American credentials, and some rival coaches are already calling him the best player to come out of San Diego since the great Bill Walton.
The Breitbard All-CIF girls Player of the Year, also a junior, may not have Budinger’s All-American credentials, but she’s also a Division I college prospect, receiving letters from women's college basketball powers, and who has helped build a dynasty.
La Costa Canyon High’s Chase Budinger, a 6-foot-7 swingman who averaged 27.9 points, 13.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 2.2 steals a game, and Mount Miguel High’s Jerica Williams, a 5-9 swing player with averages of 18.8 and 6.9, were both unanimous choices as Player of the Year.
“I think I was more aggressive this year,” Budinger said. “I put on some weight, and I was quicker to the basket. I wanted to improve my rebounding, and it was up about five rebounds a game.”
San Diego State-bound point guard Richie Williams of Steele Canyon was named to the first team for the second straight year. The 5-9 Williams led the Cougars to a No. 5 state ranking for all divisions from CalHiSports.com, the San Diego Section Division II title and the semifinals of the Southern California Regionals, where they were eliminated by No. 3-ranked Mater Dei.
Budinger led an inexperienced Mavericks lineup to the Palomar League title and appearances in the CalHiSports.com state poll for Division I. LCC was the No. 1 seed in the Division I playoffs but was eliminated by eventual champion Helix.
The Mavericks lacked a consistent scoring threat, which made Budinger a marked man. But he didn’t show the frustration on the court. He is often expressionless when he plays, with most expressions coming when he points or nods his head in approval of a teammate scoring a big basket as the Mavericks retreat on defense.
“I love basketball,” Budinger said. “I don’t think about all the other things. It’s a fun game, and I like the big crowds. I was proud of my teammates when they had good games.”
Budinger had games of 51 points against state-power Santa Ana Mater Dei, 48 against Poway, 43 against Rancho Bernardo and 41 against Escondido.El Camino coach Ray Johnson, the county’s all-time winningest coach who has seen or coached against the county’s best players since he came to town in the 1979-80 season as an assistant to Bill Christopher at Oceanside, recently labeled Budinger the best San Diegan since Walton. That means leaping Budinger over such names as Jud Buechler, Erik Meek and Jelani McCoy.
“It’s an honor for him to say that, but I try not to make too much of it,” Budinger said. “I don’t want to get a big head. I want to keep working harder.”
Williams is three-for-three in CIF San Diego Section Division II championship games after leading the Matadors to a win over El Capitan in this year’s final. Mount Miguel has also won 46 straight games in the Grossmont South League, a streak of five straight titles.
“We lost our best player (Kayla Henry) from last year, and Coach Rob (Robbie Sandoval) said I would have to step up my game,” Williams said. “I worked hard on my game in the summer. My main focus was to work on my ballhandling. I got irritated that a lot of people said I was just a shooter last year, and I wanted a stronger game.”
Mount Miguel advanced to the finals of the Southern California Regional in Division II on March, 12. It’s the first time the school has advance to a regional championship game. Mount Miguel was eliminated in the first-round of the regional the last two years.
“We have a lot of confidence on this team,” Williams said. “We’re not big, but we use our speed and athleticism.”
Williams has received recruiting letters from such women's college basketball powers as Duke and UConn. She has long considered Duke her dream school.
Williams was joined on the All-CIF team by senior Genevieve Costello, a senior point guard bound for UC Davis. Costello thinks overcoming a 13-point halftime deficit in the San Diego Section final spurred the Matadors into their regional success.
“Winning in the regionals is something this team hadn’t experienced,” Costello said. “I think after we came back from 13 points, we felt the sky was the limit in the regionals. We’re playing with a lot of confidence.”
San Diego State-bound point guard Tamika Lipford of Bishop's was named to the third team.
