All 2,100 dinner and program tickets for the University of Minnesota Alumni Association’s Annual Celebration sold out in four days after going on sale February 22, according to UMAA president Denny Schulstad.  “Tickets for the program only at about $20 ($10 for students) are for sale at Northrop Ticket office,” Schulstad said via e-mail. “We expect to sell all 3,000 of those fairly soon.”  The event is May 8 at Mariucci Arena with the program starting at 7:30 p.m.  The speakers will be University alums Tony Dungy and Stan Freese. Ticket information: www.northrop.umn.edu or 612-624-2345.

Pioneer Press sports columnist Charley Walters has about 3,500 names and phone numbers to use as sources.

Viking coach Brad Childress talking about quarterback Brad Johnson, released earlier this week:  “Brad has been a true pro throughout his career and we wish him the best as he moves forward. Brad was an important part of the team and a guy who led by example on and off the field. He’s a class act and a guy younger players could learn a lot from about what it takes to play in the NFL.” 

Kevin Gorg, Fox Sports North hockey analyst, is picking Holy Angels to win the Class AA championship and St. Thomas Academy to win the Class A title at the boys high school hockey tournament that begins Wednesday.   

St. Cloud State is Gorg’s pick to win the Red Baron WCHA Final Five (March 15-17  at Xcel Energy Center) and move on to win the men’s NCAA championship.  “The Huskies have the best goalie in the country in Bobby Goepfert,” he said.  Is there a possible surprise team in the WCHA tournament?  Gorg suggests Wisconsin could be that team. 

Single game tickets for the Final Five go on sale Monday at 10 a.m.  Tickets can be purchased at the Xcel Energy Center Box Office, Ticketmaster locations, charge by telephone at 651- 989-5151 or online at ticketmaster.com. To charge by phone using Ticketmaster TDD/TTY, call: 800-359-2525.

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Some day I might call Tim Brewster “Mr. Make Things Happen” except years ago Fortune magazine put that tag on my friend Harvey Mackay.  Brewster won’t have the opportunity to win football games until next fall but the new Gopher football coach launched a marketing campaign from day one after being hired last month. 

Brewster is selling Golden Gopher football to every man, woman and child willing to hear his message.  He’s gushing with optimism and expectations that Minnesota football will return to a level of excellence similar to its storied past and that fans will enthusiastically embrace the program.  And he’s doing it in the right way, showing humility and willingness to listen and take advice from others. 

Mackay, who lettered in golf at the University in the 1950s, is a sales guru, acclaimed speaker, nationally syndicated business columnist and author of inspirational international business books that have sold over 10 million copies, been translated into 37 languages and sold in 80 different countries.  He also is a passionate sports fan and loves the Gophers. 

I recently asked Mackay his thoughts regarding Brewster so far.  “In three words, he gets it,” Mackay began.  “He has impressed with the little things and the big things he has done.  Little things like saying I am happy to be here in the Twin Cities, not just Minneapolis.  He talks about team work and what it means.  He has put together an impressive, dedicated staff that has made a commitment to be here and be successful.  That is an outstanding plus.” 

The Brewster profile is that he almost works 24-7 and Mackay is impressed with the 46-year-old coach’s work ethic.  “It looks like he works eight days a week and he’s proud to say that’s what he does,” Mackay said. 

Read Mackay’s books and see how often he promotes the value of developing extraordinary mentors in business and life.  Brewster’s mentors include national championship coach Mack Brown of Texas and Super Bowl coach Mike Shanahan of Denver.  “A person’s life equals the total sum of his or her experiences and he’s had some truly outstanding experiences to date,” Mackay said. “Mack Brown on a scale of 10, with 10 being the highest rating, is a 12.  Friends who know Shanahan tell me he is tremendous, too.” 

Brewster’s willingness to meet people and learn from others includes meetings he’s already had with coaches of other sports at the University.  “He’s truly a good listener, asking substantive, in-depth questions in order to be brought up to speed fast,” Mackay said.   

There’s something else Mackay and a lot of other folks like about Brewster. “I also like his comments that it’s not going to take forever to take the program to the next level,” Mackay said.  “He hasn’t coached a game yet but having met him, looked at him eye-to-eye, and read his comments in the newspaper, it would be impossible not to be enthusiastic about Tim Brewster.  The Gophers are in good hands with Tim.”

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Rashad McCants isn’t there yet but the Timberwolves are projecting their 2005 No. 1 draft choice will become a prolific scorer.  Along with Ricky Davis and Kevin Garnett, he is the player with the potential to score a lot of points in a short time during a game.  

That sort of “instant offense” is a Wolves deficiency.  The future might look like this for McCants: first guy off the bench, contribute 10 to 20 points per night. That’s good tonic for this team.  Look no further than Tuesday night to see the Wolves’ need.  Minnesota scored only eight points in the second quarter, a period when a quality sixth man can make a difference.  The Wolves’ were so dismal offensively Tuesday against Dallas they shot a franchise record low of 29.6 percent for the game in a 81-65 loss at Target Center.  The 65 points was the second lowest in team history.          

McCants isn’t ready to contribute much right now.  He’s played in only 13 games since coming back from a career threatening injury to his right knee that required microfracture surgery last June.  The results so far reflect the long layoff (missed 44 games).  He’s averaging 4.2 points per game and making about 33 percent of his shots.  In his last three games he’s four of 17 on field goals and has scored 11 points.   

McCants has talked about removing the “rust” from his game and the Wolves will wait for better days.  He is only 22 years old and management likes the maturity he showed in working to rehabilitate his knee.  They also like his explosive offensive skills, including drives to the basket and effective mid-range and long- range shooting. 

In his rookie season he averaged 7.9 points per game and shot 37.2 percent on three point field goals, a team record for a first-year player.  He closed fast, starting 12 of the team’s final 15 games, averaging 14.9 points in the games he started. 

At North Carolina he averaged 20 points per game as a sophomore to lead the ACC in scoring.  During his three year career he averaged 17.6 points per game with a field goal percentage of 48.6.  His junior season the Tar Heels won the national championship. 

One of McCants’ teammates at North Carolina was Raymond Felton, now the point guard for the Charlotte Bobcats.  Felton was asked about his former teammate.  They have known each other since both were in high school. 

“He has a lot of potential,” Felton said.  “Unfortunately, he got a bad injury and he had to sit out for awhile.  . .. He can score, he can defend, (and) he’s strong.  You know, he’s not really as tall as he should be for a two-guard but his strength, athletic ability and his scoring ability make up for all that.” 

The heights of NBA players often appear exaggerated.  McCants is listed at 6-foot-4 but seems shorter. He isn’t as tall as other two guards, or shooting guards as they are also called.  While defense wasn’t why the Wolves drafted McCants, he has the ability to be effective. 

Can McCants become an NBA all-star?  “I think he can,” Felton said.  “No question.”

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