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Andrew Bogut was just another international player when the college basketball season started, not even meriting an honorable mention in the preseason All-America balloting.
All that has changed now for the 7-foot sophomore from Australia. The Utah center was the leading vote-getter on The Associated Press' All-America team announced Tuesday.
Bogut, who averaged 20.4 points and was second in the country in rebounding at 12.4, was joined on the first team by senior forwards Wayne Simien of Kansas and Hakim Warrick of Syracuse, junior guard J.J. Redick of Duke and sophomore guard Chris Paul of Wake Forest.
The voting was done on a 5-3-1 basis by the same 72-member national media panel that selects the Top 25 each week. The balloting was conducted before the NCAA tournament began.
Bogut received 60 first-team votes and 330 points, 22 more than Redick, who had 53 first-team votes.
Simien and Paul each had 289 points with Simien getting 45 first-team votes, one more than Paul. Warrick also had 44 first-team votes and got 283 points.
Bogut was the only member of the first team not to have received any recognition after last season. In fact, he was the only one of the five not to have been at least an honorable mention selection in the preseason All-America balloting. Now Bogut is considered a sure lottery pick, and the possible top pick, if he decides to declare for the NBA draft.
"The thing that impresses me the most about Andrew is his ability to get better as the year went along," first-year Utah coach Ray Giacoletti said. "I've never seen a guy his size with the versatility he has and the will to win he has."
Bogut showed off his passing skills with a season-high seven assists in the Utes' second-round win over Oklahoma last Saturday, a game in which he has a season-low 10 points on just seven shots. That led the Utes into the round of 16 for the first time since their 1998 run to the national championship game.
"We were just trying to have a successful year and do our best," said Bogut, Utah's first All-America since Andre Miller in 1999. "It just all came together these last couple of weeks."
Redick is one of the best shooters in the game from long range - 40.5 percent on 3-pointers - and the free throw line - 93.7 percent. The 6-4 Redick averaged 22.1 points and played 37.3 minutes per game for the short-handed Blue Devils, who won the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament for the sixth time in seven years and are in the round of 16 for the eighth straight year.
"J.J. has become a complete player," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Everyone watches his shooting ability. He's found different ways to score; he's become our best off-the-ball perimeter defender; he's handled the ball; he's become a leader for us."
Redick is the first Duke All-America since Jason Williams was selected in 2001 and 2002.
