Dillon Pulliam leaving UK to pursue Master’s Degree

Kentucky Wildcats guard Dillon Pulliam is leaving Lexington to pursue his dreams.

No, Pulliam isn’t heading to the NBA Draft, but is heading somewhere that will allow him to pursue lifelong dreams.

On Tuesday, UK announced that Pulliam will complete his bachelor’s degrees in May and has been admitted to Carnegie Mellon’s master’s program. He will begin pursuing a degree in electrical and computer engineering starting in the fall of 2018.

”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,” Pulliam said in a press release. “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.”

The Cynthiana native owns a 4.0 grade-point average and will graduate in May with undergraduate degrees in computer engineering and computer science.

”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.”

#DreamBig isn’t just limited to the basketball court, so it’s great to see Pulliam getting to pursue his dreams off the court.