LAS VEGAS -- UNLV freshman center Brandon McCoy is leaving school early for the NBA.
McCoy announced his decision in a release from the school on Tuesday.
A 7-footer originally from Chicago, McCoy was named the Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year in 2017-18 after setting league freshman records with 16.9 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. He was 11th nationally with 18 double-doubles, shot 55 percent from the floor and blocked 1.7 shots per game.
McCoy, a former McDonald's All-American, was a finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award that goes to the nation's top collegiate center.
McCoy is projected as a middle to late second-round pick, according to ESPN's Jonathan Givony's latest NBA mock draft.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.