On Wednesday, junior guard Tim Hardaway Jr. announced that he plans to join sophomore point guard Trey Burke in entering the 2013 NBA Draft by forgoing his final year of eligibility.

In a decision he reached Tuesday — one he said “felt good to just get off my shoulders” — Hardaway emphasized that either decision had its obvious advantages.

“It was tough to make that decision because you have a chance to come back for your senior year and have a chance to do something special,” Hardaway said. “It was a win-win situation in my eyes, I just tried to go with what my gut was feeling and where my heart was at.”

Ultimately, he couldn’t pass up on the dream he’s had since he was a child when he used to watch his father, Tim Hardaway Sr., a former NBA All-Star.

“He knows what’s in front of him better than anybody, probably, what’s in front of him, and he’s ready for it,” said Michigan coach John Beilein.

Draftexpress.com, one of the most credible pre-draft player ranker, tabbed Hardaway as its No. 58 prospect, which would place him near the tail-end of the 60-pick NBA Draft.

With Burke out next year, Hardaway would’ve had a chance to reassume the role of Michigan’s top scoring threat, which he had as a freshman. But increasing his draft stock could’ve been difficult. NBA teams, especially those picking outside the top of the first round, are known for drafting based on potential. Hardaway has played three years averaging more than 30 minutes per game meaning NBA teams have an idea of his ceiling.

Assistant coach LaVall Jordan, who said he expects to receive calls from NBA scouts and team officials inquiring about Hardaway, said he’d fully endorse his player.

“You come to college to be able to be able to live your dream one day,” Jordan said. “I believe in Tim Hardaway. There’s a reason we’ve won 76 games since he’s been here.

“Tim’s got one of the best work ethics I’ve ever seen. He prepares as well as anyone I’ve ever coached.”

Hardaway said he sought the advice of his father — an NBA scout for the Miami Heat — as well as Burke and former teammate Darius Morris, who left after his sophomore season when Hardaway was a freshman.

But the Miami native didn’t pay much attention to the draft projections, most of which tab him as a late second rounder.

“All the projections, they do mean something, but … I’m ready, I’m ready to go and I feel ready,” Hardaway said. “I’m positive about myself and very, very confident about myself.

“I believe I’m going in the first round. I believe in myself, I’m going in the first round in my mind and … it was my decision, it wasn’t nobody else’s decision. I feel like I made the right one.”

Hardaway’s three seasons in Ann Arbor were each hindered by shooting inconsistencies, including a 30.1-percent clip from the field in his final four games of this year’s NCAA Tournament. But the junior made stark improvements in other areas of his game over this year. While his scoring dropped slightly this season, his assist, rebound and shooting numbers improved upon his sophomore campaign. And while it doesn’t show up in the stat book, Hardaway transformed from a defensive liability into a solid perimeter defender, often taking the responsibility for guarding the opposition’s top offensive guard or wing.

“There are several times we won games because we said, ‘Okay Tim, you’ve got that guy now,’ ” Beilein said. “I feel he’s ready if he feels he’s ready because you can’t — the one mistake we never want to make is a kid coming back here wishing he was playing somewhere else. With everything that Michigan gives to young men, the NBA is very attractive him.”

Hardaway is the fourth player in Beilein’s tenure to depart Michigan early in favor of the NBA — following Burke earlier this week, Darius Morris in 2011 and Manny Harris in 2010 — though that list could grow pending decisions by freshmen forwards Mitch McGary and Glenn Robinsonn III, whose futures are still uncertain.

Beilein said that because of the current college basketball landscape, he’s no longer surprised by early departures.

“We want what’s best for the young men through and through,” Beilein said. “What we have to do is always be prepared for this, and I think we are.”

Hardaway’s starting position will likely be filled by incoming freshman Zak Irvin, a 6-foot-6 guard. Irvin was recently named Indiana’s Mr.