Ryan Gomes (born September 1, 1982 in Waterbury, Connecticut) is a professional basketball player for the Boston Celtics of the NBA. Gomes is of Cape Verdean descent.

Despite a highly successful career as an All-America power forward at Providence College in the Big East Conference, the 6'7.75" Gomes fell in the 2005 NBA Draft to the late second round. His size and abilities did not fit scouts' prototypical image of either a power forward or a small forward. Celtics' director of basketball operations Danny Ainge, however, felt that Gomes' track record and work ethic were enough to take a chance on the local product with the 50th pick overall.

Wearing number 4, Gomes was expected to play off the bench in his rookie season spelling Celtics star Paul Pierce. 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 that freed up roster space for Gomes to play. Soon after that, fellow Celtic Kendrick Perkins 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 had 17 rebounds and 13 points 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 at least 10 rebounds, known as a double-double. The second half of his rookie season was a definite success.

Gomes hustles relentlessly, and Celtics television color commentary man Tommy Heinsohn describes Gomes as the best offensive rebounder on the Celtics' roster. Despite his relatively small size, Gomes positions himself well on the court to rebound, and uses his hands well for easy put-back buckets and lay-ups.

Gomes was named to NBA All-Rookie Second Team for the 2005-2006 season [1], and chose to play in the Celtic's 2006 NBA summer-league team. Gomes was named to the summer league all-first team for the second consecutive year.

Gomes continues to make a significant impact starting for the Celtics this season. As of January 22, Gomes has averaged more than 30 minutes played and 11 points scored per game, along with 2 assists and just under 6 rebounds. On November 8, 2006 Gomes recorded his first career triple-double collecting 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists against the Charlotte Bobcats 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 an overtime loss to the Washington Wizards. Coming off the bench on March 4, 2007, Gomes tied his career high of 17 rebounds and scored 21 points while playing a total of 51 minutes in a double overtime victory against the Minnesota Timberwolves.


Source : Wikipedia