Ryan Gomes and Pat Rafferty named Long Island Nets assistant coaches

The Long Island Nets, the NBA D-League affiliate of the Brooklyn Nets, have named Ryan Gomes and Pat Rafferty as assistant coaches. They will join previously announced head coach Ronald Nored on the Long Island bench this season.

Gomes enters his first year on the sidelines after finishing up an eight-year NBA career. Originally selected with the 50th overall pick in the second round of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, Gomes appeared in 482 games with Boston, Minnesota, L.A. Clippers and Oklahoma City, registering career averages of 10.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.5 assists in 27.9 minutes per game. The Waterbury, Conn., native also had brief stints with clubs in Spain and Germany and was most recently with the Los Angeles D-Fenders of the NBA D-League for the second half of the 2015-16 season. Along with helping lead the D-Fenders to the D-League Finals, Gomes was named the 2015-16 NBA Development League Impact Player of the Year and received 2015-16 All-NBA D-League Third Team honors. The former Providence College standout was a two-time All-Big East First Team selection and garnered consensus First Team All-American honors in 2004.

Rafferty joins the Long Island Nets after spending the past three seasons as head coach at Central Wyoming College. Prior to his stint with the Rustlers, he served as the director of basketball operations for UT Arlington (2012-13) and was the head coach at Grayson College for nine seasons (2003-12). At Grayson, Rafferty guided the Vikings to the NJCAA Region V Tournament six times. In addition to junior college coaching stints at Midland and Casper colleges, Rafferty has previously served as an assistant coach at the University of Louisville and as both an assistant coach and head coach at Northern Arizona University. He also spent two seasons as a scout for the Minnesota Timberwolves.