Maybe the St. Paul native would end up in Europe. Maybe he'd grab a spot in the NBA's developmental league. But now, after several good individual workouts and a good showing at the Chicago predraft camp, it's possible Holman could hear his name called in the second round of Thursday's NBA draft.

If it happens, it's because a team is intrigued with Holman's height (6-10), athleticism and shot-blocking.

``He likes to play defense, he denies the ball very well, and he blocks shots,'' Timberwolves director of player personnel Rob Babcock said. ``He's a developing player, but he has upside.''

Not bad for a player who, according to his agent Chris Murray of Twin Cities-based Imani Sports, ``wasn't on anybody's radar screen'' a few months ago.

But after an early workout with the Timberwolves, Murray said Babcock helped get Holman into the Chicago camp and his opportunities have grown from there. While Holman showed little offensively in his first two games in Chicago, he scored 15 points and grabbed seven rebounds in his final game.

``Jerry's doing what Jerry does,'' said Jay Pivec, who coached Holman at Minneapolis Community and Technical College. ``He's athletic, he's long, he's able to defend and his offensive skills are not as bad as they thought.''

Holman, who averaged almost 10 points and just over five rebounds per game as a senior for the Gophers, worked out for Seattle, Atlanta and had a second workout with the Wolves just this week. He previously had worked out for Miami, Memphis, Detroit and both Los Angeles teams, the Lakers and Clippers.

Murray said even if Holman isn't drafted, he's going to end up signing as a free agent and playing in one of the NBA's summer leagues. A good performance there and Holman likely will end up in an NBA training camp this fall.

``The way the workouts are arranged, they're just calling Jerry Holman's name,'' Gophers coach Dan Monson said. ``They're perfectly set up for his athleticism and length. His best basketball is very much in front of him. He improved tremendously in two years here and in two more years he could make another jump. The NBA guys are attracted to that kind of upside.''

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