Michigan’s Hardaway decides to leave

4/17/2013
ASSOCIATED PRESS

ANN ARBOR, Mich. — Tim Hardaway Jr. is moving on to the next challenge, well aware that he'll still need to prove himself if he's going to follow his father's footsteps in the NBA.

Hardaway announced Wednesday that he'll forgo his senior season at Michigan and enter the NBA draft. He's the second Wolverine to declare early for this year's draft — national player of the year Trey Burke announced his departure Sunday.

Hardaway, a 6-foot-6 guard, started all 107 games he played during his three-year career with the Wolverines, but he's projected as a second-round pick.

Players can seek input from an NBA draft advisory committee before leaving school, but Hardaway said the final choice was one he had to make himself.

"This was my decision. It wasn't about the advisory committee, it was about my decision and what I wanted to do," Hardaway said. "I obviously had input from my coaches and my father, but it was my decision and they were behind me 100 percent."

Hardaway averaged 14.5 points in his final season.