Ryan Gomes: From College Star To NBA Veteran – A Complete Career Profile
Discover the full story of Ryan Gomes, from his early days in Connecticut to a standout college career at Providence and his solid years in the NBA with the Celtics, Timberwolves, and Clippers. Learn how he made his mark on and off the court.
Jul 25, 20255.8K Shares290.8K Views
Ryan Gomeswas born on September 1, 1982, in Waterbury, Connecticut, and he grew up there before attending Wilby High School in his hometown. As team captain during his junior and senior years, he averaged 26.9 points, 16 rebounds, 5.0 assists, and 3.0 blocks per game while leading his team through standout seasons. His high school honors included being named the Billy Finn Award winner as Waterbury’s most outstanding player and earning MVP of the Naugatuck Valley League. Gomes also played baseball as a pitcher, posting an incredibly low 0.013 earned run average during his high school years. He received scholarship offers from strong college programs including Vanderbilt, Florida, and LSU, but chose to attend Providence College to continue his basketball path.
College Career
Ryan Gomes played college basketball at Providence College from 2001 to 2005. Over his four-year career, he averaged 18.4 points, 8.9 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, playing 35.1 minutes on average.
In his junior season (2003–04), he stood out as one of the top players in the Big East. He averaged 18.9 points, 9.4 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.6 steals per game and shot over 50% from the field. He earned Consensus First Team All America honors that year.
As a senior (2004–05), Gomes led the Big East in scoring, averaging 21.6 points per game, and added 8.2 rebounds per game. That season, he posted 40 double-doubles over his career and became the first Providence player ever to surpass 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds. He was named First Team All-Big East for a second straight year and received Honorable Mention All-American honors.
Professional Career
Ryan Gomes was drafted by the Boston Celtics in the second round as the 50th overall pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. In his rookie year (2005–06), he played 61 games (starting 33), averaging 7.6 points and 4.9 rebounds in about 22.6 minutes per game, and was named to the NBA All-Rookie Second Team.
Gomes joined the Minnesota Timberwolves in mid‑2007 as part of a trade involving Kevin Garnett. He played three seasons in Minnesota: in 2007–08 he took part in all 82 games (74 starts) and averaged 12.6 points and 5.8 rebounds per game; in 2008–09 he again played 82 games and posted career-high 13.3 points per game; in 2009–10 he played 76 games, averaging 10.9 points and 4.6 rebounds.
In July 2010 Gomes signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, where he stayed for two seasons. During his time there, his production dipped; in 2010–11 he averaged 7.2 points and 3.3 rebounds, playing 76 games (62 starts), while in 2011–12 he appeared in 32 games and saw reduced playing time with 2.3 points per game.
After being waived by the Clippers in 2012, Gomes played overseas in Germany with the Artland Dragons during the 2012–13 season. In August 2013 he signed with the Oklahoma City Thunder, but was part of a January 2014 three-team deal that sent him back to Boston, where he was subsequently waived after one game in the new season.
Gomes eventually returned to the U.S. in 2016 with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA Development League. He led the team to the D-League Finals and earned NBA D-League Impact Player of the Year and a spot on the All-NBA D-League Third Team. He averaged about 18.7 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over 40 games.
In total, Gomes played eight seasons over a nine-year span in the NBA, appearing in 487 regular-season games and starting 371. He posted career averages of around 10.1 points, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per game at averages of 27.6 minutes per game.
Latest Articles
Popular Articles