UConn's Gay will enter NBA draft

STORRS, Conn. -- Connecticut forward Rudy Gay said Monday he will forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the NBA draft.

The 6-foot-9 Gay averaged a team-best 15.2 points a game this past season, and is projected to be a lottery pick. He also averaged 6.4 rebounds and had a team-high 56 steals for the Huskies (30-4).

A prep star out of Archbishop Spalding in Severn, Md., Gay appeared in 64 games for UConn and finished averaging 13.6 points a game. A consensus All-American as a sophomore, he was one of four finalists for the Naismith player of the year.

The athletic and rangy Gay delighted UConn fans over the past two years with his thunderous dunks, but could never consistently take over a game.

He had a career-high 28 points in the Maui Invitational against Arkansas. He scored 20 in the Huskies' loss to George Mason in the NCAA regional final in Washington.

Gay will be the second underclassman to leave early for the Huskies this year. Junior Josh Boone has entered himself in the draft but hasn't hired an agent, allowing him to return to school next season. He has until June 18 to withdraw from the draft.

Junior point guard Marcus Williams is expected to make his decision in the next several days. The NBA draft is June 28 and the deadline to declare for it is April 29.

He is the 10th UConn player to declare early for the draft. Previous players were Donyell Marshall, Ray Allen, Richard Hamilton, Khalid El-Amin, Caron Butler, Ben Gordon, Emeka Okafor and Charlie Villanueva.

Gay made his announcement at a news conference attended by his family, teammates and coach Jim Calhoun.