That dream is about to become reality.

Bogut announced at a press conference Monday that he's leaving the Utes after his sophomore season to enter the NBA Draft, a decision that comes as a surprise to no one considering he has the chance to do what even the heralded Petrovic never did - become one of the first picks of the draft and an instant millionaire.

"The time is right for me to move on to the next level of basketball," he said. "No regrets. Full-speed ahead."

The 7-foot Bogut is widely expected to be among the top three picks of the draft in June - he would make in excess of about $3 million a year in his first three-year contract, in that realm - after earning All-America honors by leading the Utes to a 29-6 season while averaging 20.4 points and 12.2 rebounds.

His extraordinary combination of size, strength, shooting touch and passing ability have had scouts drooling since even before he rejoined the Utes following a summer starring in the Olympics for his native Australia, but the past season sent his stock soaring to almost unimaginable heights while Bogut scarcely denied the probability that he would turn pro.

"I was probably 90 percent there, from halfway through the year to the end," he said.

He's in such a strong position, in fact, that his agents even began posturing after his press conference about potentially denying workouts with teams in which Bogut has no interest - Bogut will not attend any of the pre-draft camps, agent David Bauman of SFX Basketball said - though they and Bogut also immediately started batting their lashes at the Jazz.

"That would be a great situation," Bogut said. "It's one of the great programs in the NBA, and I think [coach Jerry Sloan] is an awesome guy. He demands the best out of you every day. . . . Obviously, that would be a great situation for me, but that's something that's not in my hands at the moment."

The Jazz could end up with the top pick of the draft, but it's far more likely that their first participation in the draft lottery will yield a pick outside of the top three.

"That's not going to get it done," Bauman said.

As it stands, Atlanta, Charlotte and New Orleans stand the best chances of having the top three picks, and Bogut said he's not especially partial to where he winds up - though he would not mind a warm climate and an organization that does not want to put the weight of the entire franchise on his shoulders from the first day.

"It would be tough to get into a situation where the load has to be put straight on to me," he said.

At the same time, Bogut understands that a lot will be expected from a top draft pick, and he's prepared to deal with it with the same tenacity he learned from idolizing Petrovic.

"I hope that I can always be true to Drazen's example of hard work," he said.

A native Croatian like Bogut's parents, Petrovic was one of the best players in Europe in the late 1980s and became one of the first international stars to migrate to the NBA. Yet he was just a third-round draft choice in the 1986 draft. He died in a car crash in Germany in 1993, just as his career in the NBA was blossoming.

Bogut was 9 years old.

He still keeps a poster of Petrovic on the wall of his apartment, though, and even at the NCAA Tournament last weekend, spoke of Petrovic as if he was still alive, when asked what he would do if he could spend a day with his hero.

"I'd like to work out with him for a day," Bogut said. "I know he works out from 9 to 5, and works his butt off every day. That is something I admired growing up."

It's also something that helped him get to this point.

Bogut spent hours and hours as a teenager practicing with a private coach, then accepted an invitation to the Australian Institute for Sport, where he developed even more fully. Utah coach Ray Giacoletti said any team in the NBA would be thrilled to land him in the draft.

"I don't think there's anybody in the world they could find that's any better as a person and as a basketball player," he said. "His work ethic . . . you'd have to be foolish if you wouldn't want him a part of your basketball program. There hasn't been one day when he hasn't been our hardest worker or hasn't been all about the team. That's very rare."

There's a chance the Utes could become the first school to yield the top pick in both the NFL and NBA drafts in the same year, with quarterback Alex Smith a strong candidate to go No. 1 after leaving the football program following his breakout junior season nearly three months ago.

But Bogut insists he doesn't care about that.

"It doesn't matter to me whether I go No. 1 or No. 5 in the draft," he said. "What matters is getting to the right team and the right situation."

Bogut said he will spend the next couple of weeks in Salt Lake City before leaving for an SFX training program in Washington, D.C., where he will work out under the tutelage of noted trainer Kevin Maselka, who has worked with basketball big men like Patrick Ewing, Alonzo Mourning and Elton Brand.

"My decision is about what's best for my basketball career," Bogut said.

mcl@sltrib.com

Best of Bogut

Nov. 17, 2003 - Andrew Bogut plays his first game in a Utah uniform, scoring 15 points and garnering 16 rebounds as the Utes beat Georgia State 46-38.

Jan. 17, 2004 - Bogut amasses 20 points and 16 rebounds for another double-double - he finished with 14 on the season - in a 60-49 victory over Wyoming.

March 13, 2004 - With a trip to the NCAA Tournament on the line, Bogut collects 17 points and 14 rebounds to help Utah beat UNLV 73-70 in the Mountain West Conference tourney final.

August 2004 - Bogut is a key starter for the Australian Olympic team, averaging 14.8 points, 8.8 rebounds and 1.2 blocks for the Boomers, who placed ninth in the tournament.

Nov. 19, 2004 - Bogut opens his sophomore season with 16 points and 10 rebounds in Utah's 72-63 victory over Stony Brook. It would be the first of 26 double-doubles on the season.

Feb. 12, 2005 - Bogut posts a career high of 33 points and adds 16 rebounds as the Utes top Colorado State 64-50.

March 17, 2005 - In his second NCAA Tournament game, Bogut posts 24 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Utes past UTEP 60-54.

GIVING BACK

Utah's Andrew Bogut said he will donate $125,000 to the Utes to renovate their locker rooms, once he signs his first contract in the NBA. He also announced the formation of the Andrew Bogut 4 Foundation, to help underprivileged children, particularly in the places that are important to him - his native Australia, Croatia, Utah and his future NBA home.