March 30, 2011
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By John Denton
UCFAthletics.com
ORLANDO, Fla. (UCFAthletics.com) - Former UCF standout Jamar Newsome used to talk about how he had to break the stereotype that he was a true football player and not just a track star when he first joined the Knights' receiving corps.
Ray Shipman, a former basketball player at the University of Florida, knows exactly about the skepticism that Newsome used to endure and he's trying to use this spring to show that he can be a hard-hitting, playmaking outside linebacker for the Knights.
Shipman knows that with each drill and each collision with a running back that the coaching staff and his peers will be looking to see if he has the toughness and grit that it takes to survive the brutality of playing linebacker at this level. He's confident that his nastiness and willingness to hit will help him shed the stigma, if you will, of being a former basketball player.
``Every guy out here has to prove themselves, but with me I know that everybody is watching to see what I'm going to do, and see if I'm going to step up,'' Shipman said. ``Guys either step up or lay down, and I'm never going to be a guy to lay down, get frustrated or play backwards. I'll make mistakes and miss tackles, but that's not because I can't hit or won't hit. I'll just go to the next play and make something happen.''
Because of UCF's holes at linebacker following the losses of Derrick Hallman, Chance Henderson and Lawrence Young, Shipman is sure to get plenty of looks at linebacker this spring with the Knights. He was repeatedly praised by coaches last fall as UCF prepared for the Liberty Bowl against Georgia for his abilities to make plays in pass coverage. That work, combined with Shipman's awesome physical tools, led to him opening the spring as the starter at strong-side linebacker.
UCF coach George O'Leary is admittedly intrigued by Shipman's rangy and ripped 6-foot-5, 237-pound size and wants to make sure he gets plenty of reps this spring to prove what he can and can't do. The original plan was to use Shipman at safety, but the thought now is that his size and coverage abilities can strengthen the Knights' front seven. The question mark, of course, will be seeing Shipman's abilities to tackle and fill gaps.
``I think he's athletic, but I want to see how he handles contact,'' O'Leary said. ``Once we see that we'll know what we have with him. He's obviously big and athletic enough to play. It'll be a weekly evaluation with him to see where he is.''
Shipman starred in both football and basketball at Monsignor Pace High School in Miramar, but opted for a basketball scholarship to the University of Florida. A lack of opportunities there and missing football had him casting his eyes to UCF for a return to football. He said that while he closely watched Florida's recent run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament, he hasn't regretted his decision to pick football over basketball.
``I've been getting (basketball talk) from everybody and my answer is always going to be `no regrets' until I become great at football,'' he said. ``I wanted to come to football and do my best. I wish Florida the best, but there are no regrets. I just wasn't happy there. I wasn't feeling it there the way that I am feeling good at football right now. I'm not looking back because I've made my decision and I'm a football player now.''
Shipman said the way he's adapted from basketball to football in such a short period of time gives him hope that he'll do well for the Knights this season. He said he regularly sits next to returning starter, middle linebacker Josh Linam, in film sessions and he considered veteran Loren Robinson ``like another coach to me.'' He's even become a regular in linebackers coach Al Seamonson's office, watching extra film and having him diagram coverages and alignments.
Also a close childhood friend of standout quarterback Jeff Godfrey while growing up in South Florida, Shipman said he's learned plenty already from the super sophomore-to-be. And his athleticism has shown up well on the practice field when compared to the speedy quarterback.
``Jeff told me how much watching film helped him, so I'm trying to watch as much as I can. Basketball isn't so much about watching film. But I see how much guys have been focused on film and how it's helped them,'' Shipman said. ``A big thing has been learning what to watch for on film.
``My athleticism translates over to football really well,'' Shipman continued. ``At first, I was thinking that basketball speed would be so different that football speed. But I've found that I can move with the running backs and the quarterbacks as well as anybody. Even when Jeff ran an option the other day - I thought he was the fastest dude in the world with the way he killed teams last year - and I was stride-for-stride with him. We've been stride for stride since we were growing up together.''
Shipman marvels at how far he's come in less than a year's time. After transferring from Florida and changing sports, he was originally ruled ineligible for last season. But that changed seven weeks into the season when UCF's Compliance Department determined that Shipman was eligible to play right away. He hadn't been through spring practice or fall camp, but had become somewhat familiar with the special teams sets by running scout team drills.
But Shipman surprisingly got his first chance to play when an injury hit midgame against Rice. Shipman chuckles now at how unprepared he was for his first moment on the football field in a college game. He vows that won't be the case this season when he goes out and tries to dispel the stereotype that he's a basketball player masquerading as a football player.
``I didn't know any of the plays, but they stuck me with the special teams and the (third string defense). I practiced two days and tried to figure a few things out. Then, during the (Rice) game, Chance Henderson went down, and I'm thinking, `I'm behind him on the chart.' But I figured they'd never put me in and would just think of something else,'' Shipman remembered. ``But when they saw I was the No. 2 on the chart, they yelled, `Shipman go in!' I didn't have a mouthpiece and my shoes were untied. The (punt) almost hit me, but I moved out of the way and did everything right.
``But after that, everything has been a big learning experience for me and I'm making the most out of it. I'm going to get everything I can out of this and help this team out anyway that I can.''
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John Denton's Knights Insider appears on UCFAthletics.com several times a week. E-mail John at jdenton@athletics.ucf.edu.