RENO, Nev. — Nevada 7-foot sophomore JaVale McGee said he made the tough decision to enter the NBA draft this spring because scouts have indicated he likely is a first-round pick.

"Of course it was a real tough decision," said McGee, 20, who has hired an agent so cannot return to the Wolf Pack to play his junior season.

"I just decided I would like to go and I'm predicted to go in the first round, so this felt like the right time," he told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

His mother, former U.S. Olympian and WNBA star Pam McGee, gathered information from NBA scouts and general managers to help make the decision, he said.

"We talked a lot, but she told me it was my decision," said McGee, who averaged 14.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game this season.

When McGee told Nevada coach Mark Fox that he was going to hire an agent, he said the coach told him, "congratulations" and that he was happy for him.

Fox said after the Wolf Pack's season-ending loss to Houston on March 18 that McGee's decision would be "about the next 20 years" of his life and not "the next two years."

Fox was expected to appear at a news conference with McGee this afternoon.

If McGee is selected in the first round of the June draft, he will be rewarded with a guaranteed multimillion-dollar contract. The contracts of second-round picks are not guaranteed. McGee said he had been told he will be drafted in the "late lottery, maybe a little after that."

NBAdraft.net has him pegged as the 14th pick in its most recent mock draft. DraftExpress.com has him going 19th overall. The Chicago Tribune (14th) and ESPN.com (20th) both have him ranked as a top-20 prospect.

"I want to make an immediate impact, but I don't know if I can," McGee said. "I'm up for the challenge.

"I'd like to work on my strength and my go-to move. I also want to simplify my shooting. I have some things to work on."

Roosevelt Barnes, McGee's agent at Maximum Sports Management, said his client is a sure-fire first-round pick.

"Everybodys saying hes a first-round pick," Barnes said. "Theres no way that he falls out of the first round. No way. From what they saw at Nevada, everybody has been very impressed with him. ... Hes the most skilled 7-footer in the world."