Ryan Anthony Gomes (born September 1, 1982) is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the Cold Hearts of Overtime Elite (OTE). He was named a First Team All-American

power forward The power forward (PF), also known as the four, is one of the five traditional positions in a regulation basketball game. Traditionally, power forwards have played a role similar to centers. When on offense, they typically play with their ba ...

at Providence College before being selected with the 50th overall pick in the

2005 NBA draft The 2005 NBA draft took place on June 28, 2005, in the Theatre at Madison Square Garden in New York City. In this draft, NBA teams took turns selecting amateur college basketball players and other first-time eligible players, such as players fr ...

by the Boston Celtics.

High school career

Gomes attended Wilby High School, where he was the captain of the basketball team during his final two seasons, averaging 26.9 points, 16 rebounds, 5.0 assists and 3.0 blocks per game. Gomes was awarded the Billy Finn Award as the top player in Waterbury, as well as being named Naugatuck Valley League MVP. During his high school days, Gomes also pitched on his baseball team where he recorded a .013 ERA. He received collegiate scholarship offers from Vanderbilt, Florida and LSU but ultimately chose to attend Providence College.

College career

Gomes played his college career for Providence averaging 18.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals in 35.1 minutes in his four years with the Friars. He had his best year as a junior, tallying 18.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.6 steals per game which earned him a Consensus First Team All-American.

Professional career

Boston Celtics (2005–2007)

2005–06 season

Wearing number 4, Gomes was expected to play off the bench in his

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience and expertise, a rookie is usually inexperienced ...

season spelling Celtics star

Paul Pierce Paul Anthony Pierce (born October 13, 1977) is an American former professional basketball player. He played 19 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA), predominantly with the Boston Celtics. He was most recently an analyst on ESPN ...

. His playing time and statistical impact were limited early in the season. However, on January 26, 2006, the Celtics executed a multiplayer trade with the

Minnesota Timberwolves The Minnesota Timberwolves are an American professional basketball team based in Minneapolis. The Timberwolves compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. Founded in 19 ...

that freed up roster space for Gomes to play. Soon after that, fellow Celtic

Kendrick Perkins Kendrick Le'Dale "Perk" Perkins (born November 10, 1984) is an American former professional basketball player who is a sports analyst for ESPN. He entered the NBA directly out of high school and played for the Boston Celtics, Oklahoma City Thunder ...

was injured and Gomes was inserted in the starting line-up. After becoming a starter, Gomes excelled, and kept his job even after Perkins returned. On February 24, 2006 he collected 17 rebounds and scored 13 points in a win over the

Portland Trail Blazers The Portland Trail Blazers (colloquially known as the Blazers) are an American professional basketball team based in Portland, Oregon. The Trail Blazers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Con ...

. Gomes scored at least 10 points in 21 of the 29 games he started in 2006, and in 7 of those games he also had a

double-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

. The second half of his rookie season was a definite success. Gomes was named to NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2005–06 season, and chose to play in the Celtics' 2006 NBA summer-league team. Gomes was named to the summer league all-first team for the second consecutive year.

2006–07 season

Gomes continued to make a significant impact starting 60 games for the Celtics in the 2006–07 season. Gomes averaged more than 30 minutes played, scoring 12.1 points per game, along with 1.6 assists and 5.6

rebounds 'Rebound' is a term used in sports to describe the ball (or puck or other object of play) becoming available for possession by either opponent after an attempt to put the ball or puck into the goal has been unsuccessful. Rebounds are generally ...

. On November 8, 2006 Gomes recorded his first career

triple-double In basketball, a double-double is a single-game performance in which a player accumulates ten or more in two of the following five statistical categories: points, rebounds, assists, steals, and blocked shots. The first "double" in the term ...

collecting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 10 assists against the

Charlotte Bobcats Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populou ...

in the Celtics' first win of the 2006–07 season after an 0–3 start. On January 20, Gomes scored a career-high 31 points in a January 20, 2007

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

loss to the

Washington Wizards The Washington Wizards are an American professional basketball team based in Washington, D.C. The Wizards compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Southeast Division. The team plays ...

. Coming off the bench on March 4, Gomes tied his career-high of 17 rebounds and scored 21 points while playing a total of 52 minutes in a double overtime victory against the

. On March 7, Gomes sprained his left foot and did not play in the second half of the game against the Houston Rockets. He sat out the following 7 games, and returned to the Celtics' roster playing limited minutes beginning on March 21. Near the end of the season, Gomes began regularly shooting three-point shots, making 14 of 34 in April, after shooting only 5 for 17 in his career to that point. Gomes attracted the attention of the national media for comments he made following a Celtics' loss to the

Milwaukee Bucks The Milwaukee Bucks are an American professional basketball team based in Milwaukee. The Bucks compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference Central Division. The team was founded in 1968 ...

on April 13. Neither Gomes nor starting point guard

Rajon Rondo Rajon Pierre Rondo (, born February 22, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Cleveland Cavaliers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, Rondo played two years of college basketball for ...

played in the game's final, decisive minutes. After, Gomes said, "I probably (would have played), but since we were in the hunt for a high draft pick, of course things are different." This was the first public comment by a Celtic in 2007 implying that the team was losing games purposely, to improve their status for the 2007 NBA draft.

Minnesota Timberwolves (2007–2010)

On July 31, 2007, Gomes was traded along with

Gerald Green Gerald Green (born January 26, 1986) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the NBA G League. He was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the 18th overall pick in the 2005 NBA draft. Know ...

Al Jefferson Al Ricardo Jefferson (born January 4, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He was a high school All-American for Prentiss High School in Mississippi before skipping college to enter the 2004 NBA draft, where he was drafted 1 ...

Theo Ratliff Theo is a given name and a hypocorism. Greek origin Many names beginning with the root "Theo-" derive from the Ancient Greek word ''theos'' (''θεός''), which means god, for example: *Feminine names: Thea, Theodora, Theodosia, Theophania, ...

Sebastian Telfair Sebastian Telfair (born June 9, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player who played in the NBA and the Chinese Basketball Association. Telfair was picked thirteenth overall in the 2004 NBA draft by the Portland Trail Blazers on ...

, and draft picks, to the

for

Kevin Garnett Kevin Maurice Garnett ( ; born May 19, 1976) is an American former professional basketball player who played for 21 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Nicknamed KG by his initials, and the "Big Ticket" for his emphatic dunki ...

. On January 21, 2008, Gomes scored a career high 35 points against the Golden State Warriors in a 109–108 win. Gomes played in all 82 Timberwolves games in 2007–08, starting 74 of them, and he averaged 12.6 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. Gomes also played in all 82 games in the 2008–09 season in which he set a career high in points scored per game (13.3). On June 24, 2010, Gomes was traded to the

with the draft rights to Luke Babbitt for

Martell Webster Martell Webster (born December 4, 1986) is an American former professional basketball player who played 10 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA). The sixth player taken in the 2005 NBA draft, Webster played for Portland, Minnesota ...

. Gomes was waived by Portland on June 29, 2010.

Los Angeles Clippers (2010–2012)

On July 8, 2010, Gomes was signed by the Clippers. He was waived by the team on July 17, 2012, via the

amnesty clause The NBA salary cap is the limit to the total amount of money that National Basketball Association teams are allowed to pay their players. Like many professional sports leagues, the NBA has a salary cap to control costs and benefit parity, defined b ...

Artland Dragons (2012–2013)

On November 22, 2012, Gomes signed with the Artland Dragons of Germany's Basketball Bundesliga.

Oklahoma City Thunder (2013–2014)

On August 7, 2013, Gomes signed with the

Oklahoma City Thunder The Oklahoma City Thunder are an American professional basketball team based in Oklahoma City. The Thunder compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference Northwest Division. The team plays i ...

. On January 7, 2014, a three-team trade was completed between the Thunder, the Boston Celtics, and the

Memphis Grizzlies The Memphis Grizzlies (referred to locally as the Grizz) are an American professional basketball team based in Memphis, Tennessee. The Grizzlies compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Western Conference ...

. Oklahoma City traded Gomes to Boston in exchange for second round draft picks in 2014 and 2017 from the Grizzlies; he was subsequently waived by the Celtics. As part of the transaction, the Grizzlies also traded

Jerryd Bayless Jerryd Andrew Bayless (born August 20, 1988) is an American former professional basketball player. He played a year of college basketball for the Arizona Wildcats after playing high school basketball at St. Mary's High School in Phoenix. He was ...

to the Celtics in exchange for

Courtney Lee Courtney Lee (born October 3, 1985) is an American former professional basketball player. He played college basketball at Western Kentucky University. Lee was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 22nd overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft and wa ...

Laboral Kutxa (2014)

On September 11, 2014, Gomes signed with Laboral Kutxa of Spain. On October 27, 2014, he parted ways with Laboral Kutxa, after playing only one game in the ACB League.

Los Angeles D-Fenders (2016)

On January 7, 2016, Gomes was acquired by the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. Over the course of the 2015–16 season, he scored in double figures 28 times, including two 30-plus-point outings, and recorded nine double-doubles. He subsequently earned NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year and led the D-Fenders to the D-League Finals where they were defeated 2–1 by the

Sioux Falls Skyforce The Sioux Falls Skyforce are an American professional basketball team of the NBA G League based in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and are affiliated with the Miami Heat. The team plays their home games in the Sanford Pentagon, a place they have call ...

. In 40 games for the D-Fenders, he averaged 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds and 2.9 assists per game. At the season's end, he was named to the All-NBA D-League Third Team.

Coaching career

On August 23, 2016, Gomes was appointed an assistant coach of the

Long Island Nets The Long Island Nets are an American professional basketball team in the NBA G League based in Uniondale, New York, and are affiliated with the Brooklyn Nets. The team plays its home games at the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Nassau Count ...

, a new NBA Development League franchise. In August 2021, Gomes was named the head coach of Team Overtime, a team that competes in the prep basketball league Overtime Elite (OTE).

NBA career statistics

Regular season

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References

External links

NBA.com profileEuroleague.net profileSpanish League profile

Ryan Gomes On His Basketball Journey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gomes, Ryan 1982 births Living people African-American basketball players All-American college men's basketball players American expatriate basketball people in Germany American expatriate basketball people in Spain American men's basketball players American people of Cape Verdean descent Artland Dragons players Basketball coaches from Connecticut Basketball players from Connecticut Big3 players Boston Celtics draft picks Boston Celtics players Liga ACB players Long Island Nets coaches Los Angeles Clippers players Los Angeles D-Fenders players Minnesota Timberwolves players Oklahoma City Thunder players Power forwards (basketball) Providence Friars men's basketball players Saski Baskonia players Small forwards Sportspeople from Waterbury, Connecticut 21st-century African-American sportspeople 20th-century African-American people American men's 3x3 basketball players