Derek Hollman

11/19/02: "The best advice University of Cincinnati basketball coach Bob Huggins could offer Derek Hollman last year after Hollman dislocated his right shoulder during the first week of practice was to remain patient. It wasn't much to cling to for a player whose first season of major college basketball had ended before it even began, but it was all Huggins had to offer. "Next year is when we'll really need you," Huggins told the frustrated junior-college transfer.

Hollman took his coach's words to heart. He watched his new teammates produce a school-record 31 victories without him, went to class and waited for this season to arrive. Now that it's here, Hollman has learned that Huggins wasn't kidding when he said the Bearcats would need him this season.

With Donald Little's legal problems removing him from UC's roster and B.J. Grove's excessive weight eliminating him as a possibility, the Bearcats are hoping to locate a center from among the trio that includes Hollman, junior Rod Flowers and junior-college transfer Kareem Johnson.

Five days before Saturday's season opener against Tennessee Tech, UC's coaching staff doesn't know who that might be. "They're all kind of even," said assistant Andy Kennedy, who works with the Bearcats' front-line players. "It depends on which day it is."

Last week against Athletes in Action, it was Hollman's turn. "He's our biggest post guy," Kennedy said. "We need to get some productivity out of him, so we put him in the starting lineup to give him a vote of confidence and to see how he would respond."

Hollman, a 6-foot-8, 255-pound junior from Itta Bena, Miss., and Panola (Texas) College, didn't do anything to make UC's coaches believe they had found their man. He scored two points, pulled down two rebounds and blocked a shot in 15 minutes. Hollman's competitors weren't any better. Flowers scored two points with three rebounds in 11 minutes, and Johnson added four points and two rebounds in 14 minutes.

In fact, during the Bearcats' two exhibition games, their three centers have been virtually interchangeable, which isn't necessarily a good thing. They have averaged a combined eight points and 8.5 rebounds. "He played like it was his first time, which it was," Huggins said of Hollman's performance. "He was overanxious. He went too fast. But I liked his energy."

After last season, Hollman says he's not concerned about starting. He's just happy to be playing again. "It was horrible," Hollman said, "seeing those guys go hard every day and knowing I was supposed to be out there helping them."

Hollman's injury occurred when he went up for a rebound and a teammate inadvertently yanked his shoulder out of its socket. "The rotator cuff kept slipping out of place," Hollman said. "It kept happening over and over. It came to a point where I couldn't even sleep at night. It would pop out while I was asleep. I would wake up and think it was a nightmare." He underwent surgery to stabilize the shoulder, and a year later, it feels fine.

Not regarded as a prolific scorer, Hollman's strengths are defense and rebounding. He averaged 12 points and 12 rebounds two years ago at Panola. If he can approach that rebounding figure this year, play solid defense and score when the opportunity arises, he could help fill UC's glaring need at center." - Enquirer.com



8/1/01: Listed as the 10th best graduating Juco Center in the country. - NBA Draft Report

July 01: Listed as the 46th best Juco player in the country. - CBS Sportsline

4/11: "CINCINNATI, Ohio (April 11) -- The University of Cincinnati signed a pair of forwards from the junior college ranks on the first day of college basketball's spring signing period. Derek Hollman, a 6-10, 265-pound power forward at Panola (Tex.) College, and Jimmy Hubbard, a 6-6, 210-pound small forward at Johnson County (Kan.) Community College, have signed national letters of intent to continue their basketball careers at the University of Cincinnati. Hollman averaged 12.0 points and 12.2 rebounds this past season at Panola to earn honorable mention all-region honors. A native of Itta Bena, Miss., Hollman averaged 19 points and 11 rebounds as a senior at Laflore High and began his college basketball career at Gulf Coast Community College. Hubbard scored at an 18.5-point clip with 8.5 rebounds and 4.5 assists this past season en route to second team NJCAA Division II All-American honors. He helped lead Johnson County to the NJCAA Division II national championship, earning a berth on the all-tournament team. Originally from Beltan, Mass., Hubbard scored 1,045 points and sank over 100 3-point field goals in his junior college career. "We think that both Derek and Jimmy will fill our biggest need which is rebounding the basketball," stated Cincinnati head coach Bob Huggins. "Derek is a big, strong, physical player who likes contact and will give us a physical presence in the post. We feel he is also someone we can throw it to inside who can score. "Jimmy gives us size and strength on the perimeter which will also help us improve our rebounding," Huggins added. "He shoots and passes the ball extremely well and has a great understanding of the game. The signings bring Cincinnati's recruiting class to three. Jason Maxiell, a 6-7, 230-pound forward at Newman Smith High in Carrollton, Texas, signed with the Bearcats last fall." - UCBearcats.com

4/2: "Hollman is more like former Cincinnati All-American Danny Fortson, except he's not a polished offensively. In other words, at 6'9, 260 lbs., Hollman is a force at the defensive end." - HoopScoop

3/27: "In case you missed it, I had Derrik Hollman's coach, Scott Monarch on today......among the things he said:
- Derrik is exactly what UC needs
- He loves to bang, push, shove.....he thrives on banging.
- When he gets the entry pass, he'd rather pass it right back out so he can go push someone.
- He's like a big brother on the court....nobody will mess with his teammates.
- All the guards will love him
- He doesn't need to score.....he wants to rebound and win.
- He compared him to Rick Mahorn.
- He would prefer a coach yell at him rather than be nice.
- One of the best kids he's ever coached.

Lance McAlister
WCKY Radio 1360HOMER
(and Jax's Voy board)

3/27: "Derek Hollman's junior college insists Hollman will be drafted someday as an NFL defensi ve lineman, but first, he'll play college basketball for the University of Cincinnati. Hollman, a massive 6-foot-10, 260-pound center from Panola Junior College in Carthage, Texas, gave an ORAL COMMITMENT to UC on Monday, said Panola coach Scott Monarch. Hollman has yet to VISIT the Cincinnati campus but Monarch said Hollman plans to do so the weekend of April 7. Hollman was unavailable for comment and the UC coaching staff is prohibited to comment on student-athletes until after they officially sign a national letter of intent. The late signing period begins next month. "This is a perfect fit," Monarch said. "He's a big block player and he does everything on the low blocks. He's not a prima donna and he needs Bob Huggins because Huggins will get in his face and Derek will take his frustration on the court and put his body on somebody. Derek likes to hit." Hollman's scoring stats are modest (12 points per game) but he averaged 11 rebounds and five assists per game for 15-15 Panola. Hollman is a native of Itta Bena, Miss., home of Jerry Rice and Mississippi Valley State. Monarch, who graduated from Mississippi Valley State along with Hollman's mother, said Hollman made an official visit to Notre Dame for football as a high school senior. Hollman, however, signed with South Florida before landing at Panola. One of the top junior-college prospects available, Hollman has two seasons of eligibility left. "I haven't seen another body like that in college basketball," Monarch said. "When he came here, he was 295 pounds. He's built like (Mike) Tyson and I think the NFL will draft him because he has a football mentality. He's a lot like Jeff Ruland and Rick Mahorn, a big block player." Hollman selected UC over Florida State, Miami, Texas Christian and North Carolina State in part because Huggins was the most aggressive recruiter, Monarch said. "Huggins worked hard on him and that meant a lot to Derek," Monarch said. "The head coach is the one who can pull you in and out of games." - Cincy Post

3/27: "Rebounding help could be on the way for the University of Cincinnati. Derek Hollman, a 6-foot-10, 265-pound power forward from Panola College in Carthage, Texas, has verbally committed to attend UC. “It's just a perfect fit,” Panola coach Scott Monarch said Monday. “He is exactly what they're looking for, and they're exactly what Derek's looking for.” Hollman, who averaged 12 points and 12.8 rebounds, is scheduled to make his official recruiting trip to UC the weekend of April 7. He has relatives in Cincinnati and has been to the city several times, Monarch said. “His game is not real hard to describe,” said Russ Blake of JucoJunction.com. “He's a physical inside presence who likes to do the dirty work. He's not a great offensive player, but that's not what he wants to be. He wants to be a defensive-oriented, rebounding-type player. And he adds an element of toughness.” Hollman, from Itta Bena, Miss., made a football recruiting visit to Notre Dame out of high school but signed with South Florida to play basketball. He was academically ineligible, so Hollman attended Gulf Coast College in Panama City, Fla. Last season, he enrolled at Tennessee State but was not on the team. Hollman left when coach Frankie Allen was fired, and followed Monarch — an assistant at Tennessee State — to Panola. Other schools recruiting Hollman included Florida State, Miami, TCU, Alabama and LSU." - Enquirer

3/26: "Panola's Hollman Headed to Cincy. Derek Hollman, a 6-10, 260 pound power forward/center from Panola J.C. in Carthage, Tex., has committed to Cincinnati. JUCO Junction spoke with Panola Head Coach Scott Monarch, who confirmed that his big man is headed to the Conference USA program next year." - Juco Junction

3/26: "Hugs continues to recruit the JC's as well as anyone. Derrick Hollman is a good prospect, and we have heard that he did commit, but is also scheduled to visit the campus again this week some time. he's a big body, which Hugs thinks he so desperately needs." - Bullseye, AllStar Report

3/24: "The Bearcats have continued mostly to recruit guys with size. At or near the top of their wish list: 7-foot Moustapha Diagne from Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, and 6-10 Derek Hollman from Panola College in Carthage, Texas. Coaches for both have said the players are expected to visit UC." - Cin Enquirer

March 01: was named to the Honorable Mention list for Region 14 conference made up of 22 schools. (Diagne was on the first team).

Finished the season 9th in the conference in rebounding (8.4 pg). (Diagne finished 10th at 8.2 rpg) Hollman averaged 45% FG. 67% from the line and averaged 11.3 ppg. He attempted one trey all year and averaged about one steal and one assist per game. There were two games where Panola and Trinity Valley faced each other (Feb 3 and Feb 28). This is when Diagne and Hollman would have faced each other. They split the games, with the home team winning. - Mike Ryan

2/26/01: "a beefy 6-10, 260 pound big man from Panola J.C. in Carthage, Tex., is a physical specimen in the low post. Through 19 games, Hollman averages 11.3 points and nine rebounds per contest. A native of Itta Benna, Miss., Hollman had initially inked with South Florida out of high school. Panola Head Coach Scott Monarch told JUCO Junction that many high majors have either called or been in to watch Hollman this winter, including LSU, Alabama, Tennessee, Ole Miss, Southern Miss, Cincinnati, Virginia Tech, TCU, Florida State, Miami, N.C. State and Georgia." - Juco Junction

Spring 98: HoopScoop has him listed as a "2" (out of 10) for the South FLorida recruiting class. By comparison, BB Waldon was an "8" in the same class.

Attended Itta Bena HS in LeFlore County Mississippi.