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Chants of "Jerry, Jerry, Jerry" were nowhere to be found inside the Qwest Center.
In fact, for 45 minutes of Atlanta's 98-86 exhibition victory over the Timberwolves
on Monday, former Gopher Jerry Holman sat on the end of the Hawks' bench with
his warmups on and both arms on his knees.
Holman, a St. Paul Humboldt High School graduate, is no longer a fan favorite, as he was at Williams Arena. He's just another player who went through the college ranks and is trying to make an NBA roster as an 11th or 12th man. Ticketmaster
"Things definitely aren't the same," Holman said. "Us young guys
don't get any respect. Every now and then it's a little stressful, but you have
to deal with it."
Participating in the Hawks' training camp was a last-minute decision for Holman.
He spent about 10 days with the Zagreb team in Slovenia on a $100,000, tax-free
contract. While he had a better chance of making his European team than the
Hawks, Holman thought it was best to return to the United States.
"To be honest, nothing really happened," he said. "Some people
can do it over there and some can't. I was just one of those people who couldn't
do it. It was hard living there. The people were nice and everything, but I
was fooling myself over there."
Holman had a tough time adapting to the European way of life. He spent many
nights by himself because he didn't have any friends there. He also lost 10
pounds, which is something the6-foot-10, 222-pound center couldn't afford, because
he's a picky eater.
"I was like the only American on the team until late in the tryouts,"
he said. "It got stressful over there. I just couldn't take it. I'm the
last person in the world who shouldn't be eating. The biggest thing is, I felt
like I was giving up an opportunity to try and make the league (NBA) by going
over there." Ticketmaster
Now Holman is a long shot. He could make $366,000 if he makes the Hawks. That's
a big if. He's battling five other players for two roster spots.
Holman first got on the Hawks' radar screen with a strong predraft workout camp.
There was speculation he might even sneak into the second round of the draft.
That did not happen, but he signed with the Hawks shortly after the draft.
Holman averaged seven points and 4.2 rebounds with the Hawks' summer league
team in Boston.
"They want to see what I could do. See me dive on the floor and bleed a
little bit," he said. "I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make
the team."
Holman sat on the bench in the Hawks' exhibition opener against the Cleveland
Cavaliers before getting two points and two rebounds in seven minutes against
the Miami Heat on Friday. He scored a point to go along with a rebound in four
minutes Monday. Ticketmaster
Holman is trying not to think about what's next if he doesn't make the final
roster, but if he's cut, he knows one thing.
"I'm going to be honest; I don't want to go overseas," he said. "Overseas
is not for me. I'm going to either play in the developmental league (National
Development Basketball League) or the CBA (Continental Basketball Association),
whoever wants me. No matter what, I'm going to keep trying to get to where I
want to be."