Mark McLaughlin’s basketball career took another turn Friday afternoon when Washington coach Lorenzo Romar issued a statement saying the 6-foot-6, 205-pound shooting guard has left the program.

He never played a game for the Huskies.

“Mark McLaughlin has decided to leave the University of Washington to pursue other opportunities,” Romar said. “Although he was only here for a short time, we enjoyed working with Mark and wish him the best in his future endeavors.”

McLaughlin, who spent last season at Tacoma Community College, was the nation’s leading scorer among junior college players during the regular season, averaging 28.4 points.

He was the only member of the Huskies’ 2012 recruiting class and was expected to soften the blow after Washington lost a pair of guards, freshman Tony Wroten Jr. and sophomore Terrence Ross, to the NBA draft.

McLaughlin played high school basketball at Kenmore (Wash.) Inglemoor, originally committing to Washington State. He ended up signing with Nevada, but never played there.

He spent a year at a prep school in New Hampshire and then signed with Baylor. But, again, he left before he ever played a game. He transferred to Seattle University and then Tacoma Community College before landing at Washington.