Bogut now has two NBA seasons under his belt after being drafted #1 overall by the Bucks in the 2005 NBA Draft. (Getty Images)

He accepted that responsibility on his own and has never let it slide. Even if such a thought had ever entered his mind, it wouldn’t have stood a chance against the demands of his career.

Bogut’s emergence on the international basketball stage began after he earned a roster spot with the Australian Institute of Sport, which toured the United States in November of 2001 and '02. Then he competed in the South East Australian Basketball League in 2003, averaging 22 points, 14.5 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots in 31 minutes per game.

The next phase of his career came with the U-19 Australian National Team. He was named most valuable player of the 2003 FIBA Junior World Championships in Greece after leading the upstart Aussies to the title.

In eight games, he averaged 26.3 points, 17 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.5 blocks and shot 61 percent from the field and 74 percent from the free-throw line. One of the highlights of his MVP conquest was a 22-point, 18-rebound performance in a 106-85 win over the USA in the quarterfinals of the medal round.

He then graduated to the Australian National Team, and helped the Boomers reach the round of 16 in the 2006 FIBA World Championships. He averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per game over six contests, including a 20-point, six-rebound outing against the USA.

He developed pride in representing his country, something many of his American NBA contemporaries would just as soon do without.

“Playing for my national team is different for me because I come from Australia than it is for guys from Europe, who come from big basketball countries,” he said. “It’s a big deal for them.

“But I think representing your country is a lot different (than playing in the NBA). You have camaraderie. You like the guys.

“The NBA has a lot of individuals. Guys don’t really hang out off the floor as much as you’d like, partly because some have their families … kids and so forth.”

The bonds upon which foreign players thrive carry over to international competition.

“In Europe, you’re forced to be a team, and the camaraderie’s much greater,” Bogut said. “I think they take pride in that, as oppposed to the USA team, where you have a bunch of stars and the chemistry doesn’t seem to be that big of a deal.”

Bogut realized, though, that U.S. competition would enhance his development as a player, and his international exposure helped lead him to a collegiate career in the States at the University of Utah.

“Their scouts came out to watch some games in the Australian National Championships for Youth,” he said. “They saw me play there. They stayed in contact and it worked out.

“I had a couple of small California schools that were interested. LMU was one of them. Later on, I had contact with Oregon and Gonzaga and a couple of other schools, but Utah was definitely the biggest school, and I decided to stick with Utah.”

Bogut was challenged not only by American competition, but by his coach at Utah, Wisconsin native Rick Majerus.

“He was a tough guy to play for,” Bogut said. “He knows the game very well, but the way he brings it across is pretty hard to swallow sometimes.

“He is brutal. You’ve got to have a thick skin to play for him. I didn’t see one guy, when I was out there, just swallow it and keep playing. I saw nearly every guy want to quit at certain stages of their careers there. It was just one of those things.”

Bogut persevered, though. In 2003-04, he was named Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year and a second-team all-conference selection after averaging 12.5 points and ranking 15th in the nation in rebounding (9.9 rpg) and 21st in field-goal percentage (.577).

The following season, after Ray Giacoletti succeeded Majerus as coach, Bogut was named consensus National Player of the Year. He swept the Wooden, Naismith, Associated Press, USBWA, NABC, Basketball Times, ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated Player of the Year awards.

He became the 11th Ute to earn All-America honors and only the third player in school history to surpass the 1,000-point mark in two seasons, finishing his career with 1,126 points. He ranked 19th in the NCAA in scoring (20.4) and second in rebounds (12.2), led the nation with 26 double-doubles and carried the Utes to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

Even since entering the NBA with the Milwaukee Bucks as a the top pick in the 2005 NBA Draft, Bogut has continued to compete for his country.

The starting center for the Australian National Team, he helped the Boomers reach the round of 16 in the 2006 FIBA World Championships. He averaged 12.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in 29.3 minutes per game over six contests, including a 20-point, six-rebound outing against the USA.

Year-round basketball can be a grind, but Bogut has made it work.

“I think I’ve managed it pretty smartly,” he said. “I didn’t have much time off (following the 2006 World Championships), but just the way I trained, it was high-intensity, but it was short and sharp. When I went longer, it was more relaxed and more like schoolwork.

“I did a lot of my fitness work in a pool, which took a lot of toll off my legs.”

Bogut’s second NBA season was cut short March 21 when he was diagnosed with a left midfoot sprain. The injured foot was to be immobilized for two to four weeks, and after that period of rest and subsequent rehabilitation, he is expected to resume basketball activity in six to eight weeks.

He doesn’t believe his injury will alter his plans for the summer and beyond.

“I don’t think it will,” he said. “I was planning on taking until the end of May off, just getting refreshed. Then I’ll get three solid months in with my personal trainer back home, every day going at it. I plan on coming back here a month early, get with the guys and we’ll have some open runs.

“The main thing is having a summer for me to get refreshed. I haven’t had a summer off in about five years now where I can recharge the batteries. I’ve always had to go to camps or prepare for the draft or what not. I want to make big strides and come back in the best shape of my life.”

Sounds like a pretty serious dude.