Duke point guard Jason Williams signed with a sports agent Tuesday, effectively ending his college career.

	Jason Williams

Williams, the consensus college basketball player of the year last season, will forego his final year of collegiate eligibility and has signed with agent Bill Duffy, according to Duffy's company, BDA Sports.

With Williams' signing, Duffy could lock up the likely Nos. 1 and 2 picks in the NBA Draft. Duffy has advised 7-foot-6 Chinese center Yao Ming, who has been granted his release from the Shanghai Sharks, his professional team in China. Ming is scheduled for a one-day workout for NBA teams on May 1.

"There are a half dozen agents Yao is considering," said Erik Zhang, who is serving as Yao's personal advisor. "Yao will select an agent when he is officially released by the Chinese basketball authorities at the national level."

The first pick in the 2002 NBA's Draft will be guaranteed a three-year, $12.4 million deal, the maximum allowed under the league's Collective Bargaining Agreement. The second pick will make $11.1 million over three years. The top pick will be worth about $150,000 in commission fees should the agent charge the maximum allowed. The agent stands to make another 15 to 20 percent of future endorsement deals for the players.

This could be a big draft for Duffy. He is talking with Kansas standout Drew Gooden, Kentucky's Tayshaun Prince and Missouri's Kareem Rush about representing them in the upcoming draft.

Duffy represented Michael Olowokandi when he was picked first overall in the 1998 NBA draft by the Los Angeles Clippers. Other prominent BDA clients include Minnesota Timberwolves' Terrell Brandon and Rasho Nesterovic, the Mavericks’ Steve Nash, as well as 15 other NBA players.

Darren Rovell, who covers sports business for ESPN.com, can be reached at darren.rovell@espn.com