Former Providence College basketball star Ryan Gomes secured his immediate future with the Boston Celtics, reaching an agreement yesterday with the team that selected him in the second round (50th overall) of this year's NBA Draft.

The Friars' all-time leading scorer has signed a three-year deal worth close to $2 million, said Gomes' agent Andrew Woolf, calling it "the best contract so far to date [secured by a player picked] in the second round, and the best 50th-pick contract of recent date, definitely."

"The first year and a half is guaranteed," according to Woolf, who expected everything to be finalized either by the end of business yesterday or today. "And there are really good trigger dates in years two and three, which virtually make it a two-year guaranteed contract. It's a solid contract, and it gives Ryan a lot of security."

Although Gomes knew last month that the team was interested in signing him, actually seeing it in writing gave him a huge sense of relief.

"I felt like I was a part of the team when I went to summer league, but they say once it's in writing it's really official, so I'm happy I got that over and done with," Gomes said last night from his home in Waterbury, Conn. "Now I can just focus on working out and getting ready to produce for this team, so I can show them that they made the right decision."