Catching up with Brewer
Had a chance to catch up with former Gator standout Corey Brewer before Friday night’s game between the Orlando Magic and Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brewer said even he was surprised at how well he had recovered from surgery to repair a torn ACL that sidelined him last season.
“Once the season started, I didn’t even think about it, I put it out of my mind,” Brewer said. “But I’m jumping better than I thought I’d be jumping.”
Brewer is averaging 13.0 points and 3.6 rebounds. His increased offensvie production has been a result of better perimeter shooting. Brewer is shooting 35.3 percent from 3-point range. Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said the team tinkered with Brewer’s shot during the offseason, keeping him more on balance. Rambis said he noticed Brewer leaning back more during his rookie season.
Brewer said he still follows Florida and watched UF’s opening round NCAA Tournament loss to BYU.
“They make me mad sometimes because watching the games they basically run the same plays we used to run,” Brewer said. “You see when someone messes up you get mad, but I still watch them.
“They need a few more players. Coach (Donovan) has been doing a good job. Austin Rivers is going to be really good when he comes up. The big kid from Jacksonville (Patric Young) coming in, I like him. And then my man, Casey (Prather), he’s from Tennessee. I like him, athletic 6-4.”
Brewer said he watched Prather play last summer in travel-league games in Tennessee
“He’s athletic, a 6-foot-4 kid, he can get up there,” Brewer said. “I like his game. I think he’ll help. He’s really athletic.”
When I told Brewer that some were comparing Prather to him, he chucked. “We’ll see,” Brewer said. “I hope, I hope so. Put him in front of that press.”
Kevin Brockway gave up on his dream of becoming a lefty starting pitcher for the New York Mets when he walked four straight batters, then hit one in a middle school game in Suffern, N.Y. Since graduating college in 1993, he’s worked as a sports writer at daily newspapers throughout the state of Florida, beginning with the Key West Citizen. He then moved on to the Northwest Florida Daily News and Naples Daily News before becoming the men’s basketball writer for The Gainesville Sun in 2003. Brockway has won multiple state and national writing awards during his 16-year career. Favorite pastimes include karaoke and watching baseball. Favorite college hoops team growing up was St. John’s.
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