With Cedric Bozeman out for the season, all the focus appears to
be on how the point guard situation will unfold. But the player who
could make the biggest impact in Bozeman’s absence according
to UCLA coach Ben Howland won’t be asked to be the
team’s floor general. Freshman Josh Shipp, a 6-foot-6 wing
out of Fairfax High School, will have the opportunity for increased
minutes at the small forward position, a spot which Bozeman was
also slated to play. Shipp’s performance Friday during
UCLA’s 97-48 exhibition win over Simon Fraser validated the
larger role he is expected to play for the Bruins this season.
Coming into the game with 12 minutes left in the first half, Shipp
scored five points in his first minute of action, sparking a 15-0
run by the Bruins. He scored 13 points and picked up five rebounds
in 18 minutes on the night. “I didn’t have any
expectations going in,” Shipp said. “I just wanted to
have fun.” As fun as his collegiate debut may have been,
Shipp admitted that he felt bad that his chance to shine is coming
at Bozeman’s expense. Still, Howland feels Shipp will be able
to adjust to the more prominent role easily enough. “Josh did
a good job coming in,” Howland said. “You see that he
has a good feel for the game and the skill level.” With Shipp
playing the wing instead of Bozeman, the Bruins will have a
different look. “Josh is probably a better three-point
shooter, but I don’t think he’s as good a
defender,” Howland said. “Ced’s our best defender
at the one, two, or three.”
ALL STITCHED UP: Dijon Thompson had stitches in
his right hand removed prior to Friday’s game. The senior
small forward cut his shooting hand two weeks ago during practice
and had been forced to practice with padding to protect the
stitches. His shooting did not seem to be affected, as Thompson
went 6-of-8 from the field for 13 points. After the game, Thompson
said that he felt much better playing without the pad, but also
indicated that his hand still felt a little sore around the
cut.
ALMOST FLAWLESS: Finding fault in a 49-point
victory may be hard, but if there was one cause for concern for the
Bruins, it was the foul trouble. Starting center Michael Fey, who
was prone to picking up early fouls last year, picked up his fourth
foul thirty seconds into the second half Friday night. However,
Howland kept him in the game and the seven-footer responded by
playing his most inspired basketball from that point forward,
scoring eight points, snatching an offensive rebound from a
defender, and blocking a shot before fouling out with nine minutes
left. “Mike got off to a slow start, but when he finally got
mad, he started to play better offensively,” Howland
said.
A PROGRAM TORN APART: Though it probably would
not have impacted the game’s outcome, UCLA was playing
against a Simon Fraser program that has been described as “in
shambles” by one former player. Five players have left the
team since the end of last season, the two most recent leaving just
last Wednesday. The situation has caused tenth-year coach Scott
Clark to take a leave of absence.