Graduate forward Addie Budnik’s five years of playing on the University of Richmond women’s basketball abruptly ended in Los Angeles when the Spiders fell in Round 2 of March Madness.
The Spiders marched back into Pauley Pavilion to face the No. 1 overall seed University of California Los Angeles just days after earning a major program milestone: Richmond’s first March Madness victory. The magical team that had drawn in so many new fans set to the court and fought with everything they had.
Despite a strong performance, Richmond walked away without another victory, marking an end to a historic season.
“Working towards something, wanting to get better everyday at a sport I’ve played my life. All of that stopped on a random Sunday afternoon,” Budnik said.
Budnik’s love of basketball fostered early on. Growing up in Chicago, Ill., her dad used to take her to watch the Bulls play at the United Center. She still keeps a childhood photo of herself in an oversized Bulls jersey as her wallpaper to remind her of where she came from.
She stayed serious in high school, scoring over 1,000 points for Highland Park High School in Highland Park, Ill., and being named a McDonald's All-American nominee. It was intimidating when the time to decide her next steps finally came. While her family loves to watch basketball, playing at such a high level was a new experience for the Budniks.
“I didn’t really know what to expect,” Budnik said. “No one in my family has played at the collegiate level so all of this was kind of new territory.”
In June of her junior year of high school, Budnik came to an elite basketball camp at UR. A couple of weeks later, she was offered a place on the team. Budnik said she felt a connection to the coaching staff and liked the campus environment outside of the court, so she committed.
She had an untraditional start in college basketball. The 2020-21 season was riddled with uncertainty and postponements. One of five first-years, they donned masks over their faces as they arrived on campus, as the threat of being quarantined in a white metal box in a parking lot loomed.
“My freshman year we definitely were not as good, but there were different vibes,” Budnik said. “It was COVID so we didn’t have anyone to watch us.”
Despite the giant mountain of challenges laid before her, Budnik quickly established herself as a force to be reckoned with on the court. She had a short four-game stint coming off the bench before starting in the rest of the season’s 18 games. A 48.5% field goal percentage, 250 points and 65 blocks for the season put her as a finalist Freshman of the Year by World Exposure Report. She was also named Atlantic 10 Rookie of the Year, the first Richmond player to claim the title since the team joined the conference in 2001.
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The success didn’t stop her from continuing to put in the work. She continued to have major career moments and picked up several honors. As a sophomore, Budnik made a game-winning layup against Virginia Commonwealth University with 1.1 seconds on the clock. She had a similar instance on the court her junior year, hitting a buzzer-beater three-pointer for a win over Ball State University.
The crown jewel came in her senior season when she was the Atlantic 10 Champion alongside her teammates.
Devoting such a large amount of time to the program allowed her to see large changes. One of the biggest she’s noticed has been the amount of fans that now flood into the Robins Center. Going from no audience during the pandemic to thousands of seats being taken in the stands.
“Just seeing [the support] build over my five years [has been great],” Budnik said. “Having volume, noise and support from the Richmond community has been huge for us and it really helps us win home games, as our record has also improved during my time here.”
Statistics back up Budnik, the Spiders recording 24-straight home conference wins.
The Spiders have steadily increased their performance over the last few years, but the last two seasons left a mark on the program. In part, it has been due to the chemistry that radiates from the team on the court.
The big five this season: junior forward Maggie Doogan, Budnik, sophomore guard Ally Sweeney, junior guard Rachel Ullstrom and senior guard Katie Hill.
Endless support and nonverbal communication led the Spiders to victory after victory. Doogan and Budnik tackle the most together. The two take on any challenge posed on the court, but are also the most active voices in front of the media.
Head Coach Aaron Roussell sat down for the last press conference of the season after losing to UCLA with Doogan and Budnik beside him.
“Thinking about the last two weeks, and probably even more than that, a number of times I’ve thought about having to say goodbye to this group was hard,” Roussell said. “That Friday night win, to have the first ever win for our program[...]. For these guys to have that experience, to celebrate that the way they did, for them to have this memory as a group together, for the rest of our lives probably takes some of the sting out of it tonight.
As the loss started to set in, Doogan began to cry from the seats in front of the press. Taking a shaky breath, she looked to Budnik beside her.
“I don’t even think I can put into words what Addie has meant to me these past couple of years,” Doogan said. “I’m so thankful and grateful that she decided to come back for a fifth year, it gave me one more year to play with her[...] She’s held me accountable when I needed it, she’s encouraged me when I needed it, she’s a one in a million teammate.”
Although her eligibility is over, she’s not done at UR. She has one more year to finish her MBA, so she plans to cheer on her teammates from outside the court.
“They’re gonna keep building, do even better things, continue to write history,” Budnik said. “So, I am gonna be a super fan in the stands and I am excited to see where it goes.”
With the NCAA tournament behind her, she sat down and started going through her camera roll to compile an album of her basketball memories. As she rode the emotional roller coaster of her life’s work, she found a photo she had forgotten about.
Before her last season started, Budnik was doing her summer workouts in the small gym tucked in the basement of her home. when something caught her eye: a memory box.
Stuffed full of old drawings and miscellaneous items, Budnik sifted through and reflected on snapshots of her career. As she stumbled down memory lane, she found herself in a pink varsity jacket with an all-access VIP pass from a school book fair swinging from her neck.
“I feel like we’ve definitely all been there,” Budnik said. “Suddenly you’re wearing this old jacket and hat, playing with all these old things.”
Fitted safely in a binder, a drawing with a note from almost 18 years ago sat in her lap. A stick figure with bright yellow hair and a red dress shot a basketball into a hoop on a lined piece of paper. Serving as a reminder of childhood dreams, she snapped a photo for later.
“I knew I would want to come back to it,” Budnik said.
Etched beside the self-portrait was an important message. Though, her teacher did have to help her write because she was too young to have good handwriting.
“Once upon a time there was me playing basketball by myself I made a lot of baskets And then I got a trophy The end.”
Contact sports editor Abigail Finney at abigail.finney@richmond.edu.
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