Shipp is sailing

Josh Shipp has put his name in the 2008 NBA draft, but will not hire an agent so as to retain his eligibility. He is the fourth Bruin to do so this month, joining Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute.

The full news release is after the jump.

Josh Shipp declares for NBA draft

The junior guard/forward will not hire an agent in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility.

LOS ANGELES — One day after guard Darren Collison announced that he will return for his senior year at UCLA, junior guard/forward Josh Shipp announced today that he has declared for the NBA draft, but will not hire an agent at this time in order to maintain his NCAA eligibility.

"After speaking with my family and with Coach (Ben) Howland, I think I should test the NBA waters to get some feedback," Shipp said. "I feel like it really can’t hurt me at this time. I want to go through the process this year, which will serve as a positive experience for me in my future development."

Shipp averaged 12.2 points and 3.2 rebounds per game in 2007-08 and was named as an honorable mention All-Pac-10 Conference selection. He ranked 19th in the league in scoring and ninth in steals per game (1.3 spg). He also led the Bruins in three-point field goals made (70).

"My experience at UCLA has been amazing," Shipp added. "It has been great being a part of so many winning teams. But at the same time, I’m at the later stages of my college career and I think it would be an advantage for me to test this year."

Shipp set a UCLA record during the 2007-08 campaign, starting in 39 games, breaking the mark of 38 set by Arron Afflalo and Luc Richard Mbah a Moute during the 2005-06 season. Shipp is currently in 32nd place on the career scoring list with 1,254 points. He also ranks fifth on the career charts with 143 three-point field goals made.

Comments

[Kevin Caton]

Shipp doesn't have a prayer of being drafted in this year's first round, and might even go undrafted. He made the right decision not hiring an agent, because he needs to play his senior year to improve his game and impress scouts.

[VA Blueblood]

I think that's correct, and I also think he made the right decision to declare, so that he can hear feedback from NBA scouts on exactly what he needs to do to improve his stoclk for next year. I am optimistic that Mbah a Moute made the same decision for the same reason; I think both will end up coming back as strong, knowledgable veterans next year.

[UnderTheBlueSky]

While I suspect Shipp will go undrafted, I hope to God I'm wrong. Howland often seemed blindly loyal to him this year, especially during the NCAA tournament, even when Shipp was a detriment both offensively and defensively. His shot brutally went south fast, and his FT-shooting was deplorable during the tourney, particularly at critical times. I was super optimistic that he would play this year with a fire-in-his-eye style, such as Afflalo had for the Bruins. Instead, by the end of the season and throughout the NCAA tournament, he played scared and afraid to shoot. Eventually, he was a total liability (notwithstanding his acrobatic shot during the Pac-10 tournament). The NBA has no place for scared shooters, and the Bruins need players with heart & confidence. While he may be a nice guy and super athletic, Shipp simply doesn't cut it in this regard. I'm sure he'll have his apologists, but what else is new?

[Bred42]

Shipp is the one guy that I hope makes the boneheaded move of hiring an agent so he can't return. He was just absolutely awful last year! I could never understand why opposing coaches paid so much respect to him publically. Perhaps because they didn't want to let on what they knew behind closed doors; that he was soft, slow, a terrible shooter and a poor defender. One circus shot vs. Cal in 3 years does not make an NBA player. They would have been far better this year if he would have been forced to split time with Roll, who isn't fantastic by any stretch but can at least make a friggin jumper.