Saying he has done everything he could do as a college basketball player, Pitt sophomore DeJuan Blair decided yesterday to forgo his final two seasons of eligibility and made himself available for the NBA draft.

Blair has not yet signed with a certified NBA agent, but he did sign a marketing and advertising contract with local attorney James Cook yesterday morning. Once he signed that contract, his days as a college athlete were over.

Many underclassmen declare for the draft and return to their schools because they do not sign with an agent, but Blair did not believe he had anything else to prove at the college level before going to the NBA.

"I did everything an individual can do," Blair said. "I had a heck of an individual year just like we had a heck of a team year. I got All-American. I got Big East player of the year. I was first-team everything.

"When you have a year like that, then you don't need to come back. You could, but you could always get paid for what you want to do. This smile will really be worth a million dollars. That will be cool."

Blair is projected as a first-round pick in the draft June 25 at Madison Square Garden. But those projections can change in the next two months based on the way all draft-eligible players perform for NBA general managers and personnel in workouts throughout May.

Blair, however, is convinced that his draft stock will not change, and that's one of the reasons he decided to make the jump now.

"I'm guaranteed being a first-round pick," Blair said. "I'm going to work hard to get to where I want to be. I control my destination."

Just how Blair came to that determination raised an eyebrow or two, including those of some Pitt officials who were present at his news conference. Blair said he based his decision not on the feedback he received from Panthers coach Jamie Dixon, who has close contacts with general managers and scouts, but by his own investigation on the Internet.

"I'm an Internet freak," Blair said. "I go on all the draft boards. No one has me going in the second round. That's almost a guarantee to me."

In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Dixon mentioned how uninformed those Internet sites are when it comes to projecting players in the NBA.

"It's way too early to talk about a number," Dixon said. "There are too many factors, unknowns to even consider a number. As we all know, as we've seen in the past, they're largely inaccurate but fun to talk about."

Cook said Kevin Mackey, a scout for the Indiana Pacers, gave him a guarantee that Blair would be taken in the first round. Mackey is the former coach at Cleveland State, who before getting hired by Larry Bird spent a decade coaching minor league basketball.

"I have no reservations about him being a first-round pick," Cook said.

Blair admitted that he did not give much consideration to Dixon's advice. Blair said his decision largely was based on conversations with his family.

"I turned to my family," Blair said. "Then my coaches came in. I was really into my family. At the end of the day, I was going to make the decision ... I came to my decision that I wanted to turn pro. It's a dream come true."

Blair said the highest he has seen his name on a mock draft is No. 8 and the lowest was No. 22. The Post-Gazette yesterday could not find a mock draft in which Blair was projected to go higher than No. 20.

First-round NBA picks have guaranteed contracts for their first two years of service. The No. 1 pick in last year's draft was guaranteed $8.3 million over two years with club options for the next years of the contract. The last pick in the first round was guaranteed $1.65 million over two years.

Second-round picks do not get guaranteed contracts.

There are countless instances when underclassmen have come out early because they believed they were going to be taken in the first round only to fall into the second.

Four years ago, Pitt's Chris Taft left after his sophomore season to pursue a career in the NBA. Taft, projected as a first-round pick in April, fell to the second round by draft day.

Taft played 17 games in his only season in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors and is out of professional basketball.

Blair was well aware of Taft's situation, but he isn't concerned that he will slip in the draft after his personal workouts.

"There were a couple of things that happened with Chris," Blair said. "I feel good about this. I feel good about what I can do. My coach will steer me through the process. I'm going to go in fit and in shape. I'm not Chris Taft. That's another thing."

Blair did say his family's financial situation played a part in his decision.

"It will be good to have what I never had," Blair said. "I was poor my whole life. I didn't have 50 cents to a dollar. To have everything I want will be a blessing."

Blair is in the process of hiring a certified NBA agent with Cook's help. Cook and Blair signed a two-year contract. Cook will receive 15 percent of Blair's future earnings in Pittsburgh over the next two years.

Cook said Blair will maintain a residence in Pittsburgh throughout his NBA career and desires a long-term relationship with the city. Cook said Blair is close to signing a deal with a local car dealership and is discussing other local advertising opportunities.

"It's all designed to keep his image in Pittsburgh," Cook said.

"This is my home," Blair said. "I'll always be here. I'm going to try and take Pittsburgh over whenever I get done with this basketball stuff."

Blair finished his Pitt career with 979 points and 769 rebounds. He was a consensus first-team All-American and the Big East Conference co-player of the year this past season.