McLaughlin won't attend UNR in fall

Mark McLaughlin, one of Nevada's top basketball recruits for the coming season, will not attend the University of Nevada this fall, Wolf Pack men’s basketball head coach Mark Fox announced Friday.

“Yesterday we opened the 2008-09 school year with mandatory freshman orientation. Mark and his family have decided that since we do not have a ruling from the NCAA Eligibility Center, he will not begin his college career at Nevada this fall," Fox said. “We certainly wish Mark the best and hope to get this resolved soon.”

McLaughlin stopped playing basketball last season during high school to concentrate on his academics. It's not known whether it's a credits issue, a GPA issue or a test score issue

The 6-foot-5 McLaughlin was an all-conference selection at Inglemoor High School in the Seattle area. He was listed on the Long Beach Press-Telegram’s prestigious “Best in the West” team and ranked among the top 20 guards in the country according to Scout.com.

It's a tremendous blow to the Wolf Pack team, as McLaughlin was expected to battle for significant playing tine as a freshman.