| "It wasn't like it was a hard recruiting sell; Jerry didn't have any options," Jay Pivec said. "He was raw, and no one, including me, knew he was going to be the kind of player he's developing into. It's like Kevin McHale; everybody now says that when he was in high school (in Hibbing, Minn.), they knew he would end up in the hall of fame. You can find those people who say that now, but you couldn't find them then. You know what I'm saying." Holman played a season for Pivec, then redshirted his second year to get his academics in order so he could graduate after another season. After Holman's freshman season at MCTC, he attended Jerry Mullen's national junior college summer camp in Tulsa, Okla., and excelled during four days of workouts. That's when many scouts suddenly regarded him as the top junior college player in the nation. Virtually every Division I school in America began recruiting Holman.
Pivec steered Holman to the Gophers despite the aftermath of the academic fraud scandal under former coach Clem Haskins. "Jerry could have played in the Big Ten at Illinois, Iowa, Purdue; they all recruited him," Pivec said. "I told Jerry, 'You can make a difference right now. You can be a hometown hero. Minnesota is a great institution. I'll be here as a safety net for you,' " said Pivec, who also told Holman he probably would be overshadowed by incoming freshman Rick Rickert of Duluth, Minn. That didn't bother Holman, and he committed to the Gophers.
Pivec said Holman's play against Mercer was "just the tip of the iceberg. NBA people have told me he'll play in the NBA, too," he said. -- Vikings offensive lineman Corbin Lacina, who missed Monday night's game against the Giants with a torn calf, said he will be ready for Sunday's game against the Bears at the Metrodome. -- ABC-TV's Monday Night play-by-play voice Al Michaels, who is a Los Angeles Kings' season ticket holder, stopped by the Wild-Kings game Sunday. He said the Xcel Energy Center is the best NHL arena he's seen. -- With nine minutes left in the Wild-Kings' game at the X, Craig Johnson, the former Gopher who wore a live microphone during the game, was checked hard into the boards and his transmission with Fox Sports Net was lost. But not before he was heard asking one of his teammates during pregame stretching, "Isn't Minnesota beautiful?" -- St. Paul's Tom Perrault, in his 11th season as a Big Ten football official, will be line judge for the Ohio State at Michigan game Saturday. -- Mark Sembrowich, the tireless former boys basketball assistant to Ziggy Kauls at Mounds View, is having recruiting success for Army in California. -- Under new coach Brenda Oldfield, the Gophers women's basketball team has won four games (including two exhibitions) by an average of 26.5 points. -- Former Twin Charlie Manuel, the Cleveland Indians manager, will have his gall bladder removed by laser surgery Wednesday. -- ESPN sportscaster Boomer Esiason, doing an on-camera interview in the stands before Monday night's Vikings-Giants game at the Metrodome, had beer spilled on him when a fan accidentally tripped going to his seat. Charley Walters' column appears Sundays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. He can be reached at cwalters@pioneerpress.com Don'T PRINT THAT -- Don't be surprised if Timberwolves' owner Glen Taylor is the lead investor if a local group is allowed to buy the Twins from Carl Pohlad, if there is a probability of getting a new ballpark. One problem is if the Twins are able to get a new ballpark, Pohlad would want to remain owner. -- Although it was announced that Pohlad intends to call commissioner Bud Selig and ask him to delay contraction, Pohlad's version is that if Selig calls, he would talk to him. -- If the Twins are eliminated by contraction, don't be surprised if hitting coach Scott Ullger gets an opportunity as first base coach for the Cleveland Indians. OVERHEARD -- Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission executive director Bill Lester, referring to O.J. Simpson lawyer Johnnie Cochran's "If the glove does not fit, you must acquit" line, on a judge's ruling that the Twins must honor their lease and play in the Dome for next season: "The appropriate action is to stop contraction."
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