Josh Shipp has done this before.

The UCLA wing, who will likely be the Bruins go-to guy now that Arron Afflalo (I'm so glad he's gone, so I don't have to worry about the spelling of his name any longer) is off to the NBA, is recovering from his second hip surgery in about 19 months.

Shipp had surgery on his left hip about a month ago. It was the identical surgery he had on his other hip on Sept. 28, 2005.

``He's doing great with his rehab," UCLA coach Ben Howland told FOXSports.com. "He's kept his weight steady and he'll be running on it this coming week. They'll put him on the treadmill."

Shipp averaged 13.3 points per game last season as the Bruins made their second consecutive Final Four run. Howland expects Shipp to be 100 percent in late-September or early October.

``He's already been through the rehab process once," Howland said. "He played the year and there was no issue."

Howland was in Portland about a week ago and saw his prized freshman, 6-foot-9 Kevin Love, who should be on campus soon.

Love is arguably the best passing big man that college basketball will see in the last decade - or more.

``That's one of the most special things about him," Howland said. "He's a very good passer, but his biggest impact with us is his ability to score and rebound."

THEUS' REPLACEMENT

Names have already been tossed around, whether it's former Ole Miss and Arizona State head man Rob Evans (A New Mexico State alum), Texas assistant Rodney Terry or even Louisville assistant Marvin Menzies.

However, the guy who makes the most sense to replace Reggie Theus at New Mexico State is current Kentucky assistant Glynn Cyprien.

Cyprien was the associate head coach with the Aggies for Theus' first season in Las Cruces - when the team went from 6-24 to 16-14 in one year. He recruited most of the players in the program and it's so late in the game right now to bring in someone who has no relationship with the current group.

ARIZONA BIG MAN GRANTED EXTRA YEAR

Arizona big man Kirk Walters was granted a medical redshirt after missing all abut two games (and three minutes) a year ago. That means he'll be able to play next season - his fifth in Tucson.

The bottom line is that if Walters plays more than 15 minutes per game this season, that means the Wildcats are in trouble. Jordan Hill, who came on late last season, will need to step up to give Lute Olson an inside presence.