Ray Shipman had a whole lot of explaining to do. Grades had just come out for his first semester at the University of Florida and he had a perfect 4.0, which is pretty much what he expected. The problem was when he called home to talk to his father, whose first reaction was to question why his GPA had dropped.
“He was ‘you had a 4.6 in high school, you’ve got a 4.0 now’ and I was like Dad, it’s not weighted … you can’t get a 4.7 in college,” said Shipman, a 6-5, 215-pound freshman who was Florida’s Mr. Basketball in 2008 after leading Opa-Locka Monsignor Pace to its second straight Class 4A state championship and four straight final fours.
At Monsignor Pace, Shipman was an incredible student with a 4.6 weighted GPA. He was the consummate student-athlete who made his mark in the classroom and on the basketball court. He had the ability to almost will his team to win. He was a natural scorer who could get his points without being part of the offense. He probably got as many points with his defense and on garbage plays as he did in the set offense that Mark Lieberman employed.
Now as a freshman wing that plays as much at the two guard as he does the small forward, Shipman is learning that the more he simply tries to fit in and do whatever the Gators need, the more playing time he sees. It’s a role that Billy Donovan assigned Corey Brewer back in 2005. When Brewer was a freshman, the Gators had proven scorers such as Anthony Roberson, Matt Walsh and David Lee. Brewer became Florida’s defensive stopper and garbage man. Most of Brewer’s points came off transition or garbage but as he grew more confident on the floor, he got to a point that he could knock down an open shot.
Through eight games, Shipman is averaging 4.1 points and 3.0 rebounds per game and he’s starting to make his presence known on the defensive end.
“I liken it to Corey Brewer when he was here,” said Donovan, whose Gators (6-2) face Florida Gulf Coast (2-5) at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center tonight (8 p.m., Florida Sports Network), the first part of a doubleheader with the women’s team (UF vs. Coppin State, 5:30 p.m). “The one thing that made Corey Brewer great was he used to do two things for us — he was a great defensive player; he brought incredible energy and passion; came up with loose basketballs, offensive rebounds, defensive rebounds and when he was left open and when he had an opportunity, he scored but he wasn’t the primary focus and neither was [Al] Horford and that’s what made those two guys special. I’ve tried to explain to Ray that with some of the guys on our team right now — it’s not to say he can’t shoot and when he’s open he should but he shouldn’t be thinking about getting the ball and trying to create and make things happen.
He needs to worry about saying ‘I’m going to be being the best defensive player on the floor; I’m going to go to the offensive glass.’ He did those things in the FSU game and did it passionately which added something to our team.”
Shipman had six points and five rebounds in Florida’s 57-55 loss to FSU in Tallahassee Sunday evening. Shipman made big plays down the stretch to help put the Gators in a position to win a tough game on the road. If he can continue to play with that kind of energy and get the same kind of results, Shipman knows his playing time will increase.
“He [Donovan] tells me to focus on defense, rebounding and doing the little things but when we sit down and talk he tells me don’t just block out your offense, but do all the little things right and then focus on the offense. The offense, he says, is the easiest part but defense you have to focus on it.”
When the season began, Shipman too often took ill-advised jump shots and that earned a quick hook from Donovan. Now that he’s begun to turn his focus to the defensive end and getting into the offense only when it’s a wide-open opportunity, the game is starting to slow down for him. Against Florida State, he was in the game at crunch time, a sign that he’s starting to earn Donovan’s trust.
The residual effect of Donovan’s trust is that he’s starting to relax when he’s on the floor. He admits that he’s been far too nervous in the early going.
“The longer I stay out there, the more relaxed I get but going in and coming out, you’re really not so relaxed,” said Shipman. “In the Florida State game, the more I was out there the more I was relaxed and comfortable. You could see it. I wasn’t as jittery. If a coach has confidence in you, you’re a lot more relaxed.”
GAME NOTES: This is the last game for the Gators until after final exams. Next up for the Gators will be UCF in Jacksonville on December 20 … Florida Gulf Coast is a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Gators are 20-0 all-time against A-Sun teams … Florida’s starting lineup for FGC is expected to be Dan Werner and Alex Tyus up front with Erving Walker, Nick Calathes and Walter Hodge starting in the backcourt … Calathes leads the Gators in scoring (16.0), assists (6.3), three-point shooting (15-39, 38.5 percent) and steals (19).
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Florida’s 23rd-ranked women’s team (8-1) takes on Coppin State as the first part of a doubleheader. The Gators have won eight straight games since beginning the season with a loss on the road to Florida Gulf Coast. The Gators are fresh off a 66-61 win on the road against North Carolina State.
Coach Amanda Butler’s Gators have been led by seniors Sha Brooks (13.2 points, 3.9 assists per game) and Marshae Dotson (11.9 points, 8.0 rebounds per game). The Gators have gotten a great contribution from junior forward Sharielle Smith, who is averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.
The Gators are hitting 47.8 percent of their shots while holding opponents to 35.5 percent. The Gators are holding opponents to 29 percent shooting on three-point attempts.