ATLANTA “”mdash; All season long, Darren Collison awed fans with his speed and skill on the basketball court.
The sophomore point guard proved to be a more-than-adequate replacement for former UCLA point guard Jordan Farmar. Collison added a new dimension to the Bruins, carrying the team on his back on multiple occasions throughout the season while establishing himself as one of the emotional leaders of the team.
Collison gave a valiant effort on Saturday against Florida, but his inability to knock down any outside shots or convert shots around the basket proved costly for the Bruins. He finished the game with nine points on just 3-for-14 shooting from the field.
It was a performance that left Collison frustrated at the game’s end, wondering what could have been.
“We did all this hard work just to get here just to lose to a team again, the same team we lost to last year,” Collison said. “It hurts.”
Collison’s dismal shooting night was not entirely reflective of his performance in the game. The point guard had a strong defensive game, limiting the production of Florida point guard Taurean Green. Green finished the game with four turnovers and shot just 2 of 9 from the field.
Collison also took care of the ball and was one of the few Bruin players who was able to create open looks for his teammates against a stingy Florida defense. He finished with five assists and no turnovers.
“He played his heart out,” coach Ben Howland said.
But despite his best effort, Collison simply couldn’t get anything to drop through the basket. Collison shot just 1 for 6 from 3-point range and couldn’t convert around the basket the way he normally does with Florida’s big men altering his shots.
“You give their post players credit,” Collison said. “They really contested our shots when they had to down low, every time we penetrated.”
As far as Collison’s future with the Bruins is concerned, it is still to be determined. Collison talked extensively after the game about how he was looking forward to the offseason and was enthusiastic about the team’s potential for improvement. Playing with the same nucleus and adding Kevin Love are big incentives for Collison to stay for at least one more year before declaring for the NBA Draft.
But on Saturday, Collison’s personal future plans were the last thing on his mind.
“That’s not something to think about right now,” Collison said after the game. “I’m looking forward to getting back with my teammates right now and just think about what we could’ve done better (Saturday).”
SHIPP SHINES IN LOSS: With seemingly everybody on the bench in foul trouble in the first half, including star junior guard Arron Afflalo, the Bruins desperately needed somebody to step up offensively to keep pace with Florida. Sophomore forward Josh Shipp stepped up to the challenge.
“I was in foul trouble, Luc (Richard Mbah a Moute) was in foul trouble, our leading scorer (Afflalo) was in foul trouble, so I mean, it was going to be hard to make shots, but Josh did a great job of keeping it close,” junior center Lorenzo Mata said.
While the rest of the Bruin team was simply inept offensively, Shipp took his game to a new level, branching out and converting on scoring opportunities. Shipp finished the first half with 14 points, scoring all but three of the Bruin’s final 17 points of the half.
“Give Shipp a lot of credit,” Florida coach Billy Donovan said. “He stepped up and played well in the first half.”
Shipp finished the game leading all Bruin scorers with 18 points, but despite his best efforts, the rest of the team couldn’t keep pace.
“It was just a tough night overall,” Shipp said. “We struggled offensively.”