Shipp’s hip is not an issue

Practice didn’t end for each of the UCLA Bruins Thursday until 40 free throws were made. “It’s not a race to get to 40 first,” junior Josh Shipp said. “But if you don’t make 40 you’ll have to do it again.”

Shipp made his 40 then spoke about how he’s feeling after a week of tough practices on his surgically repaired left hip. He said he feels the typical muscle soreness that comes after hard exercise, but nothing that concerns him.

“I feel good for the most part,” Shipp said. “There’s none of the joint pain I had, practice is going good.”

Shipp, who redshirted two years ago after he had surgery on his right hip, is ready to step into the leadership role that opened when Pacific 10 Conference player of the year Arron Afflalo left after his junior season to play for the Detroit Pistons.

“Arron was a great player for us,” Shipp said, “and we lost a lot when he left. But it’s my turn now to prove I can be a great leader.”

While there has been a lot of talk about the improved offensive abilities of junior forward Luc Richard Mbah a Moute and sophomore guard Russell Westbrook, Shipp said that is not a sign the Bruins are neglecting defense.

“That’s what we do first and foremost,” Shipp said. “Our shot might not be falling sometimes. If we can add consistent offensive shooting to our defense, that’s great.”

Senior center Lorenzo Mata-Real, who is recovering from a sprained right foot, participated in most of Thursday’s practice, Shipp said.

Junior Alfred Aboya said he has enjoyed initiating acclaimed freshman Kevin Love into the UCLA way of practicing and learning defense.

“He’s a strong player and a hard worker,” Aboya said. “He won’t let anybody step on his feet though. It’s been fun playing against him so far.”

Aboya still considers himself the strongest man on the team even though he, at 6 feet 8 and 235 pounds, surrenders two inches and 25 pounds to Love. “Still nobody tougher than me,” Aboya said.

Aboya, like his teammate Mbah a Moute, spent time over the summer playing for the Cameroon national team. “The coaching was different,” Aboya said. “The style was just get the ball and run the clock down, a very conservative style.”

There is a freshman besides Love on UCLA’s roster, and last Tuesday Coach Ben Howland suggested Chace Stanback had plenty of room for improvement.

“Chace had a great practice on Sunday,” Howland said. “Then he had a poor practice on Monday. There are a lot of things he has to learn about playing lower. He has to go against good players every day. Josh has been taking it right at him.”

“Coach is riding him,” said Shipp, who was a teammate of Stanback’s at Fairfax High. “But Chace has made a lot of progression. Overall, his game is improving, his ability to shoot it and that’s good for him.”

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diane.pucin@latimes.com