Bryce McGowens has been waiting all night to hear his name called, and now the former Nebraska guard knows his destination.

McGowens was selected by the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second round of the NBA Draft on Thursday night. He was taken with the No. 40 overall pick.

The Timberwolves, however, traded their pick to the Charlotte Hornets. McGowens will begin his professional career with the team that is less than two hours away from his high school alma mater.

The 6-foot-6, 180-pounder took a chance by declaring early for the draft after just one season in Lincoln, but he has seen that gamble pay off by getting selected.

McGowens, who signed with the Huskers out of Legacy Early College (S.C.) in the 2021 cycle, was a five-star recruit for Fred Hoiberg's class and was the No. 30 overall recruit and No. 6 shooting guard in the nation.

He parlayed that lofty ranking and the hype into a third-team All-Big Ten selection, a spot on the Big Ten's All-Freshman team, and he was named the conference's Newcomer of the Year for the 2021-22 season.

Those accolades came following a sensational season with the Huskers. He averaged 16.8 points per game, leading Big Ten freshmen in scoring, ranking third nationally among all true freshmen and finishing ninth overall in the conference in scoring average. He totaled 522 points, which is the most in Nebraska men's basketball history for a freshman.

His 5.1 rebounds per game ranked second among all Big Ten freshmen. He also led all freshmen in college basketball with 162 free throws made, and he was second in free throw attempts (195). His 83.1 free throw percentage was third in the Big Ten.