Another one has bit the dust at West Point.

Freshman Luke Slater, a 6-5 forward from Illinois, says he is leaving the Academy at the end of his freshman year.

According to the Northwest Herald:

Slater seemed like an ideal fit for Army. A 6-foot-6, three-sport athlete, he graduated in the top five at McHenry East in 2004 and headed to West Point to major in engineering.

Once there, Slater heard about the high numbers of Army grads being sent overseas to combat.

"You really don't understand what's going on until you're there [at West Point]," Slater said. "After those five years, you're more than likely going over. You want to say I'd do anything to protect the nation. When you see what it's all about, it's a scary thought."

About 90 percent of cadets will be deployed to combat zones within three years of graduation.

Slater made a difficult choice. He will leave Army this spring after his freshman year is completed. Cadets may leave West Point before their junior year without penalty, similar to transferring from a regular college.

A note, Army's Web site lists Slater at 6-5, not the 6-6 the paper claims. That is not real easy to find if you visit GoArmySports.com, though. Slater's name has already been removed from the roster posted there. His profile page, though, is still there. We found it when we googled his name.

One of just four players 6-5 or taller on the Cadets roster, Slater appeared in 20 games, starting five, averaging 14 minutes of playing time in those 20 games. On Jan. 2 against Cornell, he posted a career-high 15 points in 30 minutes of action. But after the Cadets Feb. 4 game against American, Slater's name did not appear in any other Army box scores.