Shipman ends his recruitment

The door is shut for Florida wing Ray Shipman. The 6-foot-4 rising senior ended his recruitment on Thursday and made a verbal pledge. Rivals.com has the exclusive story on where he is headed.

After earning an offer from the Florida Gators after playing well at their elite camp, Shipman thought about his college future for a week and ended his recruitment shortly thereafter. Shimpan verbally committed to Florida on Thursday while at the NBA Players Association camp.

Shipman, a Rivals150 prospect from Miami (Fla.) Pace, said he found a comfort level with the two-time defending national champions and liked the vision Billy Donovan has for him in the future.

"It is a good fit because I have a good relationship with coach Donovan," Shipman said. "I called him last night and we talked for two hours. We talked a lot about what he was going through with the NBA, leaving and then coming back. He talked a lot about making the transition from high school to college and we related on a lot of things. He gave me the idea of making me better as a player and how well I can help them in the next two to three years."

Shipman also considered Georgia Tech, Clemson, Kansas State, Florida State and Miami. The Gators now have a pair of commitments in the class of 2008 in Shipman and New York point guard Erving Walker.

The addition of Shipman should allow the Gators to utilize their size, athleticism and versatility on the wing. Shipman said he likes where he fits in with the incoming 2007 class.

"I think I can make a great impact, especially with all of the players that they have. None of us play alike and coach Donovan was saying we should be able to break a lot of people down because we'll have a lot of versatility," Shipman said.

With the addition of Shipman on the Florida commit list, keep a close eye on his Florida Rams AAU teammate Kenny Kadji. The five-star center has the Gators in his top three along with Kansas State and Memphis.

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