Chris Taft, Associated Press No. 1 Andrew Bogut gets hugs from Mom and Dad. Click photo for larger image. More NBA Draft Coverage: NBA Draft Notebook: Bogut continues foreign trend 2005 NBA Draft: Rounds 1 & 2

NEW YORK -- Pitt sophomore Chris Taft had dreams of playing in the NBA and while it is still likely he is headed there, his draft night was nothing less than a nightmare.

Taft, who left Pitt with two years of eligibility remaining, was projected as a high first-round pick several months ago and was considered a solid first-rounder as late as Monday. But last night the first round of the NBA draft came and went, and Taft had still not heard his name called.

Taft lasted to the 12th pick of the second round (No. 42 overall) before the Golden State Warriors selected him. He did not attend the draft, choosing instead to watch it at home.

He was not available for comment, and his agent, Billy Ceisler, did not return several phone calls.

By dropping into the second round, Taft will not get a guaranteed contract and will have to make a roster before getting paid. Even then, the contract will be for minimum money and will not include a significant signing bonus.

Taft's stock had fallen in recent weeks because of poor workouts. He was said to have been dominated by several other big men in individual workouts for teams. The fact that he dropped so far was a little surprising and prompted ESPN's analysts to chastise the people who offered bad advice to leave school early.

"Whoever it was that told him he was a lottery pick was irresponsible and should be held accountable," said Jay Bilas immediately after Taft was picked.

Pitt coach Jamie Dixon, reached by phone last night, said it isn't fair to criticize Taft's decision because he did what he thought was best for his career.

"I don't think anyone can make a decision for anyone else," Dixon said. "That just isn't fair. Everybody has their own situation to think about, and only that person knows what the right decision is. We're proud of Chris; we'd obviously have liked all of our guys to go as high as possible, but only he knows what his situation is and what is best for him and his family.

"I don't know how anyone who isn't in another person's shoes can decide what is best for him."

One silver lining for Taft was that he at least will find a familiar face in Golden State. The Warriors' vice president of basketball operations is Chris Mullin, who, like Taft, attended Xaverian High School in Brooklyn. Dixon said that should not be overlooked.

"I think it is great that he is going somewhere where he already knows somebody who can help him continue to develop as a player," Dixon said. "That's a great thing for Chris, and I am happy for him."

Tony Feder, Associated Press They were partying in Melbourne, Australia, where Helen Jurisic, grandmother of Andrew Bogut, holds up a Bucks/Bogut jersey. Click photo for larger image.

The Milwaukee Bucks chose Utah standout Andrew Bogut with the first overall pick instead of North Carolina phenom Marvin Williams. Bogut, the consensus college player of the year, has plenty of international experience and was viewed as the player in the draft most ready to play, which is why the Bucks decided on him.

Williams did not have to wait very long to be picked as the Atlanta Hawks took him with the second pick. They were the consensus top two players in the draft.

"I was confident, but I wasn't 100 percent sure where'd I'd go, one or two," Bogut said. "I knew it would be me or Marvin Williams, so it was a 50-50 shot. Now that I am here, it is a great honor. Milwaukee is a great city. Salt Lake City compares very favorable to Milwaukee -- a small-market city where people are very family-oriented."

The next three picks were point guards, starting with Illinois' Deron Williams,who was picked by Utah. He was followed by Wake Forest's Chris Paul (New Orleans) and North Carolina's Raymond Felton (Charlotte).

"We've been joking all week about who would go first among us," Williams said. "But I am happy for those guys as well. It is all in good fun. I'm happy I was first, but I am happy those guys that they got selected right behind me."

Portland used the sixth pick to grab Seattle high school standout Martell Webster -- the third consecutive year it has picked a high school player in the first round. Webster, Andrew Bynum (No. 10, Los Angeles Lakers) and Gerald Green (No. 18, Boston) were part of history as the last group of high school players to be drafted. New age-limit rules begin next year and no player can be drafted until he turns 19.

"I feel fortunate to be a part of the last group of high school players that will be coming out," Webster said. "If it would have taken place this year, I would have been happy to go to the University of Washington, but I feel fortunate to be a part of this. Now I need to go out there and be the best player I could be and show them that maybe high school players still have the ability to play in the NBA."

Connecticut standout Charlie Villanueva was the No. 7 pick, then Arizona's Channing Frye (New York), Arizona State's Ike Diogu (Golden State) and Bynum rounded out the top 10 and were followed by a couple of international players, Spanish star Fran Vazquez (Orlando, No. 11) and Russia's Yaroslav Korolev (Los Angeles Clippers).

North Carolina completed its first-round dominance when Sean May was selected No. 13 by Charlotte and teammate Rashad McCants was picked No. 14 by Minnesota. That gave the national champions four first-rounders -- a feat matched only once before (Duke in 1999).

Other notable first-rounders were Syracuse standout Hakim Warrick (Memphis, No. 19), Louisville's Francisco Garcia (Sacramento, No. 23) and Illinois' Luther Head (Houston, No. 24).