U. Florida basketball player and Monsignor Pace alum Ray Shipman has decided to transfer to U. Central Florida, but not to play for head coach Donnie Jones and the Knights’ basketball team.
Shipman wants to pursue his first passion — football — and has decided UCF is the place for him.
“I’ve committed to the University of Central Florida,” Shipman told UCFSports.com. “I’m going to be playing safety for the football team. It’s something I’ve been thinking about ever since I stopped playing football after my freshman year of high school.”
The move comes as a surprise to many who have followed Shipman during his high school days in South Florida.
The sophomore guard was named Mr. Florida Basketball in 2008 after a stellar career at Pace.
The four-star basketball prospect chose Florida over schools such as Miami, Georgia Tech, Florida State and Kansas State.
He played football in his freshman year of high school and hasn’t played since, but he phoned some of his former coaches to see if they thought football was still a possibility.
“I got in contact with my old football coaches, and they told me they knew I could come back to football,” Shipman told UCFSports.com. “Some people thought back then that I’d be the best football player in the state coming out of high school and had the talent to be a first round draft pick for the NFL. My old coach said it would all come back to me, so he told me he’d talk to a few schools to see who’s interested.”
Shipman will have to sit out the 2010 season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will use that time to get back into “football shape.”
He’s excited to be not only coming to Orlando, but also reuniting with his cousin, true freshman quarterback Jeffrey Godfrey.
“It was really like a coincidence,” Shipman told UCFSports.com. “We’re pretty close, and I told him that I’m talking to your coaches and thinking about committing there. He was like, ‘Come on down.’ ”
In two years with the Gators, Shipman played in 68 games, making one start, which he made last season.
In 2009-10, he played in 32 games, averaging 12.4 minutes a contest and ranking fifth on the team with 26 steals.
Shipman was named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year with a 3.4 GPA in sport managment.
“I have truly enjoyed coaching Ray the last two seasons,” Florida head coach Billy Donovan said in a statement. “He’s an outstanding person and a great student.
“I want to wish Ray the best of luck as he pursues the things that are important to him as a player and as a student.”
Regardless of the chances he is taking with passing up basketball, Shipman knows he is going to work hard and is excited to get back in to pads.
“I know my ability,” he said. “Going back to football is going to be a good thing. I just knew if I got an opportunity that I will make the most of it. I feel like I have a better chance of making this a career, knowing my abilities.”