Sophomore Ray Shipman will transfer from Florida, coach Billy Donovan confirmed Wednesday.
The 6-foot-5 guard decided to leave the program after averaging just 12.4 minutes per game last season and serving in a limited role during his two years with the Gators.
“I appreciate the opportunity that the University of Florida gave me,” Shipman said. “I want to thank coach Donovan, the staff and my teammates for the last two years, and I wish the University of Florida the best in the future moving forward. I’m looking forward to making a decision to go somewhere with an opportunity for a bigger role.”
Shipman was seemingly unable to earn Donovan’s trust, even when he was playing well, despite the fact that UF’s coach constantly pointed to a lack of depth in his team’s backcourt.
In the team’s last two regular-season games, Shipman scored five points in six minutes against Vanderbilt and nine points in nine minutes at Kentucky. But he barely saw the floor in the second half of those games, as Donovan continued to play guards Erving Walker and Kenny Boynton for a team-high 32.9 minutes per game.
“He had mixed views on his position there at Florida,” said Rosalind Shipman, Ray’s mother.
Florida’s 2008 “Mr. Basketball” actually saw his playing time decrease from his freshman campaign, when he averaged 13.2 minutes per game. Shipman’s offensive numbers took a hit as well, going from 3.8 points per game on 49 percent shooting to 2.7 points per game on 44 percent shooting.
Before the season, Donovan said Shipman focused too much on his offense as a freshman. Already considered a defensive specialist after his first year, Shipman continued to be one of UF’s most reliable defenders during his sophomore season.
But due to his lack of skill as a ballhandler and tendency to turn the ball over, Shipman couldn’t crack the lineup in crunch time.
Donovan thought Shipman gained a renewed sense of confidence after being named Southeastern Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the end of the season, but it never affected his playing time.
“I have truly enjoyed coaching Ray the last two seasons,” Donovan said. “He’s an outstanding person and a great student. I want to wish Ray the best of luck as he pursues the things that are important to him as a player and as a student.”
Shipman is the 13th player to transfer from UF since 2003, and his departure will hurt UF’s already-thin backcourt, which now consists of Boynton, Walker and Rod Tishman, who played just 2.3 minutes per game as a freshman.
If every other player returns to the Gators, Donovan will have two remaining scholarships to offer potential recruits.
FLORIDA NO LONGER RECRUITING KNIGHT: Another player who won’t be wearing orange and blue next season, it seems, is the nation’s top recruit, according to Rivals.com.
According to a Scout.com report, Florida is no longer pursuing five-star prospect Brandon Knight, the 6-foot-3 point guard from Fort Lauderdale.
Donovan has repeatedly stressed his team’s need for another guard, and it was assumed that Knight’s relationship with Boynton would be a major draw, but Scout.com cited a source that said the Gators took themselves out of the running for Knight.
It has been widely projected that Knight will choose to attend Kentucky, becoming the next player in a long line of talented point guards coached by John Calipari.
