MINNEAPOLIS -- The memories of his last trip to the Twin
Cities returned quickly for Corey Brewer, and the Florida swingman
smiled wide when he was asked about the Gators' appearance here
during the NCAA tournament in 2006.
"I like Minneapolis," Brewer said Friday, after a predraft
workout with the Minnesota Timberwolves. "I haven't lost here yet.
It's a nice city, but it gets cold though. It was cold here last
time, but it feels really good now."
In a way, Minneapolis could be considered the birth city of the
Gator craze. People were still trying to figure out if Brewer and
the rest of his sophomore buddies were for real after their first
two victories over South Alabama and Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the
2006 NCAA tournament.
By the time the Gators left for the Final Four in Indianapolis,
there was no doubt. The youngsters from Gainesville were a
revelation when they waltzed into the Metrodome that weekend and
flourished under all the attention. Brewer, Joakim Noah and Co.
edged Georgetown in the Sweet Sixteen, then cruised past future
Timberwolves guard Randy Foye and Villanova in the regional final
en route to Florida's first national title in men's hoops.
They won a second title this season in their encore performance,
and now Brewer, Noah and Al Horford all figure to be lottery picks
in the June 28 draft.
The Timberwolves own the seventh selection in the first round,
and many mock drafts have Brewer, a skinny, 6-foot-9 defensive
wizard who was named the most outstanding player of the Final Four
this year, falling to them.
"I've heard that a lot," Brewer said. "You never know. I
wouldn't mind being up here with KG and Foye and those guys. But we
won't know until June 28."
He would fit in well here playing for a defensive-minded coach
in Randy Wittman who openly lamented his team's lack of intensity
and focus on that end during a dismal season this year.
There was plenty of intensity in Brewer's workout on Friday,
where he practiced against prospects Al Thornton of Florida State,
Julian Wright of Kansas and Thaddeus Young of Georgia Tech.
Foye was one of several current Timberwolves who attended the
workout, and had no trouble identifying the one guy who stood out.
"No brainer. The kid, Thornton, from Florida State," said
Foye, who was essentially handed the starting point guard spot on
Thursday when the team traded veteran Mike James to Houston for
Juwan Howard. "He's a beast. He plays really hard, and he's
aggressive."
The 6-foot-8 forward led the ACC in scoring as a senior, can
shoot it from outside, and is a load on the low block when matched
up against players his size. He excelled in a two-on-two
competition on Friday, showcasing athleticism in the low post and a
soft touch on his turnaround jump shot.
"It's kind of an up-tempo team," Thornton said of the Wolves.
"They're going to get out and run when they can, and also they run
a good offense -- a motion-based offense where everybody's kind of
moving, trying to get the ball to the big fella (Garnett) -- and I
think I'd fit in well."
Brewer can see himself here as well. He said he would love to
play with Kevin Garnett and Foye, whom Brewer dubbed "a great
player." He would know. The Gators lost to Foye's Wildcats in the
2005 tournament before getting revenge the following season.
"He won one, I won one, but I won the national championship,"
Brewer said, again with a smile. "That's a nice tie-breaker."<
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AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this story.