Dillon Pulliam leaving Kentucky for Carnegie Mellon

Kentucky's roster shakeup continues with an announcement from Dillon Pulliam that he will not return for his senior season. Pulliam is leaving a year early to pursue his master's degree in electrical and computer engineering from the esteemed Carnegie Mellon University. A 4.0 student and a regular on the Dean's List, the Cynthiana native is all set to graduate this spring with honors. Here's his statement:

"Before I say anything, I'd first like to thank God for all he's done for me over the past three years," Pulliam said. "When you put your faith in him, it really is amazing the doors he will open for you." "As a kid, I always dreamed of playing basketball in college. Having the chance to do that at UK has been life changing and has made these years some of the best of my life. The friendships and memories I've made are something I will carry with me forever and they have made all the hard work worth it. I'd like to thank my parents, my family and my friends for always believing in me and pushing me to achieve my goals. I'd also like to thank Coach Cal and the rest of staff, as well as all the incredible people working in UK Athletics, for helping me to grow as a basketball player and as a person. Lastly, I'd like to thank my teammates. Having the chance to be around three separate groups of extremely talented, hard-working, and enjoyable people has made every moment worth it. "With that said, I'd like to say that this past season has been my final one in a Wildcat jersey. I plan to graduate this spring with a double major in computer engineering and computer science. Next year I plan to pursue my master's in electrical and computer engineering at Carnegie Mellon University. "Carnegie Mellon has one of the top engineering and computer science programs in the entire world and there I will have the chance to learn more about the computer systems I hope to one day help design. Big Blue Nation, I truly appreciate all the support I've had and I'm really looking forward to this new stage in my life."

Good luck to Dillon as he moves on to the next stage of his life. He's clearly on a path to even more success.

UPDATE

John Calipari chimes in:

“Dillon was a great teammate and an important part of what we do in practice every day,” UK head coach John Calipari said. “He earned a partial scholarship at different points because of his contributions. Suffice it to say, he was a great student. I’ve been stopped by professors who ask me, ‘Do you know how smart he is?’ Being from Pittsburgh, I know what it means to be accepted into Carnegie Mellon. I also know my application wouldn’t have even made it to anyone’s desk. I’m just as happy for Dillon as I am for our other guys who go on to pursue their genius in other areas, whether it be in the NBA or in the business world. My guess is Dillon will be in the middle of a program to put people on Mars before it’s all said and done. Proud of him.”