Oct. 19, 2004

Preseason player rankings: Top 10 power forwards

By Gregg Doyel | SportsLine.com Senior Writer
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The NBA wants him to play smaller. Providence needs him to play bigger. For Ryan Gomes, the choice is not all that difficult.

NBA be damned, he'll go back to the post this season for the Friars.

Syracuse's Hakim Warrick averaged nearly 20 points per game last season. (Getty Images)

Gomes might just get both. Even though NBA scouts say he'll have to become a small forward to make it in their league, at 6-feet-7, Gomes is among the best power forwards in college basketball -- and the No. 1 power forward entering the 2004-05 season, according to SportsLine.com.

For Providence to reach its second consecutive NCAA Tournament, Gomes probably must put his perimeter development on hold. The Friars knew they would lose senior center Marcus Douthit after last season but were caught off-guard when junior power forward Rob Sanders foolishly left the program to pursue his own professional dreams.

That leaves 6-9 senior Tuukka Kotti, a finesse Finish import, as the Friars' likely starter at center. Which means Gomes has to return to the low block for Providence to have the offensive balance of an NCAA Tournament team.

"When I came back I knew I'd have to sacrifice what I need to do to get to the next level, but getting to the next level is also about leading your team," Gomes said. "I came back for my senior year to enjoy myself, lead my team to wins and then get to the next level."

Gomes didn't make a single 3-pointer as a freshman or sophomore -- he was 0-for-6 -- but went 29-for-87 as a junior. One of those 3-pointers came in Providence's 66-56 victory in January against eventual national champion Connecticut.

"I've explained it a thousand times. I (messed) up. I didn't take Ryan Gomes. ..." Calhoun said, his voice rising as his answer went along. "I took Emeka Okafor (that year) and Caron Butler (the year before). They're not bad! I can't get everyone!"

While Gomes' playing weight in past seasons has been as much as 255 pounds, he said he will enter this season at 240, quicker than ever. Whether he's sneaking outside to shoot a jumper or pounding away on the low block in a reprise of his freshman and sophomore seasons, Gomes figures to finish his career with 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds.

No Providence player has ever done that. Only 10 players in Big East history have reached both numbers, legendary names like Patrick Ewing and Alonzo Mourning, Derrick Coleman.

"When people tell me about those things, I start thinking about it: 'Wow, I didn't know that,'" Gomes said. "I'm shooting for wins more than points or rebounds. If at the end of the season the record is there -- 2,000 and 1,000 -- I'll be happy. But I'm trying to get wins first."