Gomes Keeps On Learning
PROVIDENCE – Many basketball fans, especially younger ones, have their beliefs about whether a college player belongs in the NBA. The fact that the college game and the NBA are very different doesn’t come to mind right away, and some examples of how great college success doesn’t translate to NBA success can leave fans baffled. But Ryan Gomes understands all of this, including the misconceptions about his NBA potential this past year.
“I know that making it to the NBA is a hard process,” the Providence senior forward says. “Just because I was an All-American, everyone thought it was going to be a straight shot, top 20 pick, but it’s not that easy. Some guys that weren’t All-Americans got drafted.”
Indeed, Gomes is already proof positive that projections based on accomplishments at a lower level can be inaccurate and that scouting is very much an inexact science. A late signee out of high school, PrepStars didn’t rank Gomes among the top 300 prospects in the high school class of 2001. The publication had a very brief scouting report that ended by describing him as a “good mid-major prospect”. Another leading scout takes it further than that and remembers seeing another current Big East star in a similar way.
“The honest answer is no,” says Dave Telep, National Recruiting Director for Scout.com, when asked if he foresaw Gomes having the kind of career college he’s had thus far. “However, I did feel like I made a big mistake and actually learned from both the Ryan Gomes and Hakim Warrick situations. Back in the fall of their senior years, these two guys led their teams to the title game at the Charlie Weber where I believe Warrick’s team won out. In hindsight, I should have seen that these were a pair of late bloomers who were just beginning to hit their stride. I didn’t see it that way at the time but that single game by those two guys has caused me to re-evaluate certain situations and realize that kids progress at different rates.”
The projections seemed to match what the Friars thought originally, as they originally planned to redshirt Gomes as a freshman. Then the Friars decided to put him in during a road contest against South Carolina on December 3, 2001, and things changed from there. Gomes scored 15 points on 6-8 shooting and grabbed eight rebounds in 28 minutes. A 31-point effort at Miami highlighted a season where he averaged nearly 14 points and 8 rebounds per game, and he built on that as a sophomore before earning numerous first team All-American honors last season.
Gomes decided not to stay in the draft after not signing with an agent, returning to Providence for his senior year. He’s now armed with the knowledge of what he needs to work on to get to the next level, while also being looked up to for leadership by the young Friars. He was selected as the preseason Big East Player of the Year, which he sees as meaning much the same thing as the feedback he got during the spring about his NBA potential.
“I know I have to keep working,” Gomes says. “Last year, coming into the season I was unnoticed; this year I’m noticed by that award and coming back as an All-American. I just have to keep getting better each and every day and try to progress.”
Clearly, the success hasn’t gone to Gomes’ head. Described by Welsh as a student of the game, he understands the game well and shows more confidence each time out on the floor. He went into the NBA Draft process not really knowing what to expect, but did his homework and also enlisted the help of his coaches, two of whom went to Chicago once college coaches were allowed to be present. He says the rocky offseason at the school didn’t weigh on him as he pondered whether or not to stay in the draft. It all added up to an experience he raves about.
“Overall, it was a great experience for me, as a player and as a person,” he reflects. “I learned the things I need to work on, and coach has given me the opportunity this year to expand the game a little bit. I told him what I need to work on, and he’s willing to work with me.”
Part of Gomes maintaining his perspective is knowing that he has to stay with what got him this far, even though NBA scouts will be watching for other things. He’s certainly proven that he can score on the post and rebound, but scouts want to see small forward skills, which he certainly doesn’t lack. In the Friars’ first exhibition game, Gomes started out playing more on the perimeter, but realized later that his game suffered early because of that and feels, as head coach Tim Welsh does, that he needs to start inside and work his way outside.
“He’s got to have a better mix of inside-outside game,” Welsh said after the game. “We have to make sure we have a good balance of our offense, and Ryan gives us that balance. He’s our only proven guy that can go down low and score, so he’s going to be the guy we go to.”
Freshmen Hold The Key
The big key to the Friars’ season will be what they get out of the freshmen. If DeSean White, a talented post player who can leave observers thinking he’s capable of more, and Randall Hanke, a long post player who’s very active inside and runs the floor well, both develop this year, Gomes will be able to play away from the basket more and the Friars will have two more good bodies inside to go along with senior Tuukka Kotti and little-used sophomore Herbert Hill. Two other freshmen who figure to get their share of minutes are well-traveled guard Robert McKiver and Charlie Burch, a hard-working forward.
“I think he’s probably the most ready of all the freshmen, because he’s picked up the system quicker,” Welsh says of McKiver.
The veterans have questions as well. Junior point guard Donnie McGrath was part of the rocky offseason, but his situation is settled and the most important thing will be not hitting the wall late in the season as he has each of his first two seasons. Sophomore Dwight Brewington figures to be the second scorer behind Gomes and is also their top defender, though his decision-making did not look very sound at times in the first exhibition game. Kotti did well as a reserve, but has a new role as a starter, at least for now. Hill has played very little in his career and is thus unproven; Welsh says he needs to work on his endurance.
While rebounding and defense are keys for this team, Gomes knows that the big key is some of the team’s personnel – the youngest of them.
“They’re playing with a lot of energy, and that’s what coach likes,” he says of the freshmen, adding that they have looked to him for leadership often. He feels good about them after practicing with them daily, but knows that they’re in for a lot of learning once Big East play gets going given their lack of experience.
The freshmen figure to be the difference between the NIT and the NCAA Tournament for the Friars. If they pan out in time this season, the Friars project to be at least a bubble team coming out of the strong Big East Conference.
