Josh Shipp wasn’t even sure if he was going to play until
right before the game. When he found out he would be playing, he
made sure his return to the court was a memorable one. Shipp, who
missed last Saturday’s game against USC with a right
hamstring tear, scored 12 points, outplaying his freshman brother
Jerren Shipp, who scored eight points for Arizona State. “It
was definitely fun to be back out there,” Josh said.
“Playing against my brother was kind of weird. … It’s
one of those things where I’m going to look back and have a
story to tell our grandkids.” Early on it was actually the
younger Shipp who was winning the matchup. Jerren came in off the
bench and immediately scored six points, keying Arizona
State’s fast 17-6 start against UCLA. He scored all eight of
his points in the first half. It didn’t take Josh long to get
the best of his little brother though. The sophomore forward helped
shut out his brother in the second half and finished the game with
12 points. He also had a reverse dunk five minutes into the half to
put the Bruins within one point of ASU as his brother was trailing
the play. “Josh surprised me with that reverse dunk,”
coach Ben Howland said. “I think he wanted to show everybody
he was OK. It was a pretty close game when he went up there to do
that.” A few minutes later, when Jerren was at the free-throw
line, the UCLA student section screamed “Josh is
better.” Jerren missed both free throws. “It was a
little harsh,” Josh said of the student section’s
chant. “I mean, it’s my little brother, I don’t
want to see any harm against him. I kind of felt bad for
him.” The two brothers could also be seen talking to each
other at moments throughout the game. “We talked a little
bit,” Josh said. “I tried to give him some pointers. I
mean, he’s still my little brother. I want to see the best
for him.”
UP NEXT: In one of the most highly anticipated home games of the
year for UCLA, No. 11 Arizona comes into town on Saturday. The
Wildcats lost their second consecutive game on Thursday, falling to
USC 80-73. The Wildcats (14-5, 4-3 Pac-10) lost to Oregon on their
home court last Saturday. “Last year, they lost to (USC) at
the Sports Arena and they came in here fired up,” junior
guard Arron Afflalo said. “We can’t let that bother us
or affect us. We’re our own team, we’re going through
our own trials and tribulations.” Arizona, picked by some to
win the Pac-10 at the beginning of the season, already has three
conference losses. But there is no denying the talent the Wildcats
possess. Freshman Chase Budinger is widely considered to be one of
the top talents in the nation and will likely be a top NBA pick.
Sophomore forward Marcus Williams is averaging 18.4 points and 7.4
rebounds a game. And senior point guard Mustafa Shakur is having
far and away the best season of his Arizona career. “They
have five legitimate threats that can go off on us,” Afflalo
said. “Any of those guys could put up 20-plus, maybe 30.
We’re going to have our hands full.”