STORRS, Conn. -- Connecticut center Andre Drummond said Friday he has declared for the NBA draft after a single season of college basketball.

The 18-year-old freshman averaged 10 points for the Huskies this season while leading the team in rebounding at 7.6 per game.

"My family and I feel that this is the right time for me to take the next step in my basketball career," Drummond said. "It has always been a goal of mine to compete against the world's best players and that is one of the big factors for me in making this decision."

The announcement comes days after UConn's leading scorer, sophomore Jeremy Lamb, announced that he too will be leaving for the NBA. The NCAA has banned UConn from next year's postseason because of past academic problems.

"Andre is a developing player with unlimited potential and his projected position in the draft is as good as almost any player I've ever had," UConn coach Jim Calhoun said. "Very few players get such a tremendous opportunity, and he's got to take advantage of it."

Drummond also led the team with 92 blocked shots, and his 2.7 blocks per game ranked third in the Big East.