Chase Budinger will always have Paris, but he’ll never forget his North County roots.
Budinger, the former La Costa Canyon High basketball star, is returning to his old haunts — the ones that he can almost taste.
“My local stops?” said Budinger, a recent Olympian in beach volleyball. “VG’s Donuts, Pipe’s, Seaside Market for Cardiff Crack and Rico’s, although it’s not called that anymore, I still go there.”
That’s a full plate, and from the versatile Budinger, one would expect nothing less.
Budinger’s in town with the San Diego Smash for this weekend’s AVP League Beach Volleyball matchup at Viejas Arena in San Diego. The eight-squad endeavor is putting a different spin on pro volleyball, bringing a team element to the sport, which is growing by leaps and bounds.
“I think it is a really cool experience,” Budinger said. “It’s just more fast-paced.”
Much like trying to keep track of the well-rounded Budinger.
Most recall his LCC run when the Mavericks were a prep powerhouse and Budinger was scoring 50 points to help win the 2006 CIF-San Diego Section title game. Or when he was a mainstay for the University of Arizona’s storied program.
Then he was drafted 44th overall in the NBA, where he forged a seven-year career and added another season of pro basketball in Spain.
When done with hoops in 2018, he quickly hopped into beach volleyball, something he embraced as a 10-year-old. He earned his stripes playing with his older brother, Duncan, at Encinitas’ Moonlight Beach, an iconic venue and one that isn’t for the faint of heart.
”It was always fun going down to Moonlight and seeing the legends,” Budinger, 36, said. “Our first time down there and we played against Jimmy Nichols and one of his buddies.
“We got beat 15-1, and they didn’t do anything special. It was all ball control, dinks here and there, and I still remember how eye-opening it was. I said, ‘Man, these guys are so good doing the small things.’ I was just trying to hammer every ball, and it wasn’t working.”
The 6-foot-6 Budinger quickly became Charlie Atlas as he went from having sand kicked in his face to dominating the Moonlight courts. His love for volleyball was so keen, that he contemplated tackling it, and basketball, in college.
“If I had chosen UCLA or USC, I might have done it,” Budinger said. “But I went to Arizona and really focused on basketball.”
That hankering for beach volleyball, though, was never spiked. When basketball landed in Budinger’s rear-view mirror, he dove into another pro sport in 2018.
In Budinger’s first two years on the AVP Tour, he was named the rookie of the year, the most improved player, advanced to four finals and won a tournament.
His crowning achievement, though, might have been making this summer’s USA Olympic team. The competition in the City of Light was held at the base of the Eiffel Tower before thousands of spirited fans.
“Our venue was unbelievable and beach volleyball was such a focus,” he said. “We were the third-most watched sport behind swimming and gymnastics, which is amazing.
“We played France in the first match and after we beat them in the first set, the French fans started singing their national anthem and my partner hit a serve 20 feet out. I had never experienced anything like that before.”
Now comes another slice of his sporting life with the AVP League, which has eight stops nationwide. Every event features four teams, each with a two-man and a two-woman tandem competing in a two-day on sand.
Budinger is on the San Diego Smash with partner and fellow Olympian Miles Evans.
They’ve hauled loads of sand into Viejas Arena, where Budinger played as an Arizona freshman and was a co-captain with Kevin Durant in the McDonald’s All-American basketball game.
Despite his local connections, the rowdy San Diego State crew unloaded on Budinger.
“They did a number on me,” Budinger said, with a laugh. “l heard some pretty fierce stuff that was pretty original, and they brought in funny posters.
“It’s been a long time since I’ve been in that arena, and it’s going to bring back a lot of good memories.’
While forming new ones.
“I think it’s a fantastic place to showcase beach volleyball,” Budinger said.
The AVP League also stops at Oceanside’s Frontwave Arena, Oct. 19-20.
Budinger is usually found near the shore, as he’s moved from Encinitas to Hermosa Beach. But he remains true to his home, and that includes rooting for the Chargers.
Budinger promises the San Diego Smash isn’t flirting with Los Angeles.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Budinger said, “to be on a team that represents the city.”
Contact Jay Paris at [email protected] and follow him @jparis_sports
