Nova Scotia's Nate Darling, one of the top shooters and scorers in U.S. college basketball, announced Tuesday that he will enter the NBA Draft, while retaining the option to return to school for his senior season.

"I am very excited for this opportunity as it has always been a dream of mine to play at the highest level," the 6-5 guard from the University of Delaware posted on Twitter.

Darling, 21, from Bedford, N.S., averaged 21.0 points per game for the Delaware Blue Hens, which was 18th in NCAA Division I this past season. His 672 points were seven shy of the school record and his 107 three-pointers were sixth most in the nation.

Darling can still decide to return to Delaware, provided he withdraws from the draft by June 3. During the spring, he can work out for NBA teams and receive feedback on his chances of being drafted, but it's unclear how the COVID-19 pandemic will affect the pre-draft process. The draft is scheduled for June 25, but the league has suspended its season during the crisis.

Darling left Canada in the ninth grade to finish high school at DeMatha Catholic, a traditional basketball powerhouse in Maryland.

In the summer of 2015, he returned to his hometown and etched his name in Canadian basketball lore, scoring 50 points to lead Team Nova Scotia to an upset of Team Ontario at the U17 Canada Basketball Championship and win gold.

Darling scored 672 points in 2019-2020, seven shy of the school record, and he also set a University of Delaware record by hitting 107 three-pointers this season. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)

Two summers later, Darling was golden once more, this time at the U19 World Cup with Team Canada — the first Canadian basketball squad ever to top the podium at a FIBA event.

Darling is one of a pair of Nova Scotians who are chasing NBA dreams. Lindell Wigginton, also from the Halifax area, averaged 15.3 points per game this past season for the Minnesota Timberwolves affiliate in the G-League, the NBA's feeder division.

Darling was one of the top three-point shooters in the NCAA this season. (Mark Jordan)

Wigginton declared for the NBA Draft in 2018 after his freshman year at Iowa State, but returned to school for his sophomore season.

Wigginton and Darling are vying to be the first Nova Scotians ever to appear in a regular-season NBA game.

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