It was no surprise that Andrew Bogut called a press conference Monday afternoon to confirm what everybody has suspected for weeks — that he's forgoing his final two years of basketball eligibility at the University of Utah to enter the NBA Draft.
The only real surprise of the afternoon was that the 7-foot Australian showed up looking so natty in a black pin-striped suit, a white shirt and a red-striped tie, an outfit he had purchased just minutes before at the Big and Tall shop down on State Street.
Flanked by two agents from SFX Basketball Group and coach Ray Giacoletti, Bogut read a prepared statement, then answered questions from the assembled media at the Huntsman Center lounge.
"I feel the time is right for me to move on," he said. "Anybody who knows me knows this decision isn't about the money. I was offered a lot of money to play in Europe prior to this season. If it was about money, I would have left before my sophomore year. My decision is based on what is best for my basketball career."
Bogut said he's been "90 percent sure" about turning pro for the past month or so but didn't want to cause a distraction to his team's successful season by talking about it. He thanked everyone from his coaches to his teammates to the Ute fans to his parents, who attended the press conference, sitting on the front row.
Giacoletti called it a "special day for a special young man" and said he fully supports Bogut's decision.
"This is not a sad day, it should be a joyous day," he said.
"Andrew has done everything he can do at the college level, and it will be fun for all of us at the University of Utah to watch him grow in his NBA career over the next 10 to 15 years."
When Giacoletti got the Utah job a year ago, he got to know Bogut for a few weeks before flying to Australia to meet with his parents. After getting a commitment from Bogut to come back for another year, Giacoletti had a good idea it might be the only year Bogut would play for him.
"A year ago we talked about how we'd give him a hug and shake his hand and wish him the best, and that day has come," Giacoletti said.
Bogut said he loved his time in Utah, calling it the "best two years of my life on the basketball court and off" and that "Salt Lake City will be in my heart forever." He also said he'd love to stay here next year as a member of the Utah Jazz if things work out.
"Obviously I'm comfortable here," he said. "That would be a great situation for me."
Bogut said he will be in town for a couple of more weeks before going to Washington, D.C., where he'll work out with a trainer from SFX to get in top shape before the NBA Draft in June.
At first Bogut tiptoed around a question of whether he'd attend NBA pre-draft camps, before his agent, David Bauman, spoke up and said "no," Bogut would not go to any of those camps.
Bauman believes Bogut will be the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft in June and said from everything he'd heard, Bogut is definitely a top-3 pick along with North Carolina's Marvin Williams and Wake Forest's Chris Paul, two underclassmen who haven't yet declared for the draft.
That would make it difficult for the Jazz, who currently have the fourth-worst record in the league, to draft him unless they get lucky in the lottery, which is held in May.
"I'd rather be the No. 5 pick and go to a team that's stable with a good coach and a great organization rather than go No. 1," Bogut said.
Also revealed at the press conference was Bogut's plans to "give back" to the community with a donation to the university and through the creation of a foundation.
Giacoletti said he was "shocked" to hear five minutes before the press conference began that Bogut was planning to donate $125,000 to the university to upgrade locker room facilities. Not shocked he was doing it, just that he wasn't aware of it.
"That tells you what kind of person he is," Giacoletti said.
Bogut said the details of the donation would be worked out soon after he signs a contract.
Also Bogut will give back through the "Andrew Bogut 4 Foundation," which is dedicated to reaching out to underprivileged youths struggling through difficult circumstances in four places "close to his heart" — Australia, Croatia, Utah and his future NBA home.
Bogut officially finishes his two-year career 27th on the all-time Ute scoring list with 1,126 points, just behind Charles Menatti at 1,130.
He's also 10th on the career rebounding list with 753 boards.
Until his final 8-for-19 shooting game against Kentucky, Bogut was No. 1 in field goal percentage, but slipped behind Nate Althoff (60.8 percent) to No. 2 at 60.5 percent.
Bogut did break the Ute season field goal percentage record this year, finishing at 62.0 percent, beating the previous record of 61.7 percent. He also finished sixth on the season scoring list with 715 points, seventh on the rebounding list with 338 rebounds and set a season record for blocked shots with 65.
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