Amid all the hype surrounding the new-look starting lineup, the Gators' bench players showed Monday night the strides they made this offseason.
Ray Shipman scored 16 points and Chandler Parsons added 12 and a team-high nine rebounds as Florida cruised past NAIA opponent Webber International 104-53 in its final exhibition game in the O'Connell Center.
Freshman guard Kenny Boynton led the team with 25 points in only his second college game, but UF's reserves brought the team some much-needed energy after a slow start.
"I think we've got a great bench," said Parsons, who entered the game with his team down 15-11 before going on 15-0 run. "I think we're deep. I think we've got size. I think we got athleticism, we got energy, guys that can play defense, guys that can shoot the ball."
Shipman, who averaged 3.8 points per game last year, provided a spark off the bench, slashing into the lane on offense and slamming down dunks in transition. All of Shipman's seven field goals against the outmatched Warriors came on dunks or layups.
The 6-foot-5 guard, who scored 10 in UF's exhibition opener, whipped himself into shape during the offseason, dropping from 225 pounds to 205 and coming to terms with his role on the team, something he struggled with during his first year in Gainesville.
The sophomore put his improved conditioning on display Monday night with an array of impressive moves to the basket.
"When we get Ray playing like he did tonight, I think we become a lot more athletic, a lot quicker and a much, much better defensive team on the perimeter than we were a year ago," UF coach Billy Donovan said.
With 6:08 left in the first half, point guard Erving Walker's corner 3-pointer bounced off the iron, but Shipman soared above the rim to throw down a powerful putback dunk.
Shipman said after the game he missed a dunk exactly like that in practice earlier in the week, but Donovan told him not to be afraid to take those opportunities in a game, as he wouldn't have had the energy or conditioning to even attempt those plays last year.
Donovan said Shipman entered college with "entirely the wrong mentality" and was more concerned about his own statistics and doing what he wanted to do, rather than focusing on the role the team needed him to play.
"(UF assistant coach Richard) Pitino told me, it's like 95 percent of freshmen who come into college basketball are dumbasses just like that. I was one of those dumbasses," Shipman said. "But now, I feel like I'm mature, and it's helped me out a lot."
While Shipman was slashing through the lane, Parsons and the rest of UF's frontcourt reserves made up for a starting frontcourt that combined for half as many turnovers (nine) as points (18).
Sophomore center Kenny Kadji added 11 points and eight rebounds, and freshman forward Erik Murphy contributed eight points, four boards and a game-high six steals. Parsons and Kadji were the team's leading rebounders, helping the Gators to a 49-31 advantage on the boards.
