Josh Shipp returns
Josh Shipp is returning to UCLA for his senior season. He withdrew his name from the NBA Draft today and told coach Ben Howland he will be back next season for the Bruins.
"We don't get to the Final Four each of the last two years or win Pac-10 championships without Josh," Howland said on a teleconference this afternoon. "Josh is an integral part of that. No question."
Shipp was the only Bruin to start all 39 games last year, a school record, and averaged 12.2 points and 2.1 assists per game.
"I am glad I went through this process. It gave me the opportunity to get input and prepare my body and my game for the next level," Shipp said in a release.
More telling than Shipp's announcement that he will be returning is the speculation by Howland that Alfred Aboya will also rerturn for his senior year giving the Bruins three seniors on next year's team.
"I'm pretty confident he'll be back," Howland said.
Darren Collison, Aboya and Shipp would all be seniors. If Luc Ricahrd Mbah a Moute decides to come back, that would give Howland four seasoned seniors on his team.
But Moute is still working out with NBA teams and probably won't make a decision about making himself eligible for the draft until Monday.
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About Inside UCLA
This is Brian Dohn's sixth season covering UCLA after spending 4 1/2 years covering the Dodgers for the Daily News and other Los Angeles Newspaper Group papers. He graduated from Rutgers, where the first college football game was played in 1869. Sure, the Scarlet Knights suffered for a long time, but now RU is doing what Jerseyans always thought was possible. Winning at Rutgers also proves winning is possible everywhere else in the nation, so underachieving coaches better be careful. Now, if only men's hoops can turn it around.
Great to see you back Josh!! Time for another championship run bruddah!!
Will the return of Shipp affect the recruitment of Alex Stephenson?
They play different positions but Stephenson will probably get less shot attempts with the return of Shipp.
Shipp will have graduated before Stephenson plays competitively, unless you are talking about pick-up games - get with the program!
Ahh. OK, you smart, me dumb.
So sorry to inform you that Charles would never comment using his own name. Charles O'Bannon didnt write that. He doesnt even know who Alex is. No offense to Alex...Go Bruins