Charles Garcia reaches over a Fresno State player on Nov. 19 at KeyArena.

The Redhawks will have to find someone else to shoulder their winning hopes and dreams next season.

Star forward Charles Garica, the Redhawks men’s basketball team’s leading scorer with 18.7 points per game, has said that he plans on declaring for the NBA draft at the end of the season.

The announcement was first posted at Fox News before the official word came in a statement from Seattle U late Monday.

“It has always been a dream of mine to have an opportunity to play in the NBA. I want to thank Seattle University, Coach Dollar, and my teammates for putting me in this position. I also want to thank the city of Seattle for all their love and support,” said Garcia. “We have had an amazing winning season that I hope ends in a postseason tournament.”

As the Redhawks prepare for a potential tournament, they will have the departure of Garcia looming over their heads. Once Garcia hires an agent, there is no chance he can return to play his senior year–even if he doesn’t get drafted. It was widely speculated that he would make this move, but that doesn’t mean it will be any easier for the team.

“There may be a handful of players in the country who have as much upside as Charles. I am extremely proud of how he has grown and developed throughout the year. I support his decision 100% and look forward to watching him reach his tremendous potential in the NBA,” Coach Cameron Dollar said in the statement. “I will be forever grateful for all he has done for the university and our basketball program.”

The Redhawks finished their regular season by winning eight of their last nine games, including a 74-64 victory at Utah Valley University last Saturday. The team is hoping to earn a berth in the National Invitational Tournament (NIT), the College Basketball Invitational (CBI), or the CollegeInsider.com Tournament (CIT). Seattle U will learn its postseason fate on Sunday, March 14, when the tournament committees release their selections.