He also loves cooking (cajun chicken pasta with a sauce from scratch is his best dish, he says) and “Harry Potter” movies (he identifies with Hagrid as a big, friendly fellow). But he lives basketball, inhales it when possible.

“I love the sport. So I’m always looking into podcasts like The Field of 68 or anything like that,” he said.

So when Gomma, the 6-foot-8 big man and native of Seattle, decided to venture out via the transfer portal after two seasons at Seattle U, Weber State quickly stood out.

WSU’s track record of getting players into the professional ranks was a similar vein many recent recruits have tried to tap into. He said he appreciated how coaches were direct and clear about their plan for him, an approach he found honest. But there was something else.

Andrew Khauv, Seattle Athletics

“I knew Dillon Jones had the option to leave, and he came back. So I feel like that … knowing he decided to come back, I feel like something good is going on over there. That definitely made me interested,” Gomma said.

So Monday, Gomma publicly announced his commitment to Weber State men’s basketball with two seasons of eligibility remaining. He chose WSU over interest from Montana State, East Tennesee State, Idaho, Eastern Washington, Vermont, Long Beach and others after visiting WSU and MSU.

Having played in the WAC against Utah Valley and Southern Utah, Gomma (name pronounced muh-LEEK GO-muh) said he thinks Utah is a beautiful place and he feels the pace of Ogden matches his personality better than the big-city life he’s used to. He’ll also reunite with former AAU teammate Trevor Hennig at Weber.

Gomma said he noted Weber State’s struggles last year but considered more than a one-year picture and feels WSU’s history is strong.

“The coaches weren’t making excuses for themselves, but I understand it,” he said. “In this process, so many teams are rebuilding. Most of the teams I was interested in were losing seven or eight players. If they’re getting seven or eight players out of the portal, these teams are going to be different every year. So a program that had a good year last year, that doesn’t mean a lot if the whole team is gone. So just dealing with the best data, and the staff I believe in and the staff that believes in me the most, where I felt most wanted, that was the biggest thing for me.”

Andrew Khauv, Seattle Athletics

Gomma’s change is typical of many in the transfer portal. With a bachelor’s degree in strategic communication in hand, and eyeing an MBA, he wants a larger role and a greater opportunity on the basketball court.

As a sophomore, Gomma played 13.6 minutes over 26 games at Seattle, averaging 3.3 points and 3.3 rebounds per appearance. He backed up senior Georgia transfer Matthew-Alexander Moncrieffe, the nation’s No. 3 defensive rebounder by percentage and the player who was fifth nationally in free-throw rate. His freshman season, he backed up Brandton Chatfield, who then transferred to Iowa State.

“Learning from them every day, being able to battle against them every day, that helped develop my game,” Gomma said. “We had a lot of older guys, we ended up winning the CBI my freshman year … I learned how to be a leader, how to take care of my body … how to bring energy and bring the juice up for the team.”

So now it’s time for his shot.

“Weber’s the perfect opportunity. Not a lot of coaches still recruit freshman but Coach (Eric) Duft does,” he said. “I’ll take it with pride to be one of the older guys and be able to lead, take my knowledge and pass it on like older guys did for me.”

Andrew Khauv, Seattle Athletics

Gomma says he put on 20-25 pounds to better play center this past season but has already lost 10 of those; he wants to move better on both ends of the floor. Coaches see him as an undersized center with the ability to play vertically with athleticism.

He says he’ll be a “big-time rebounder” and good ball-screen defender for the Wildcats. As a sophomore, he had Seattle’s second-best defensive rebounding percentage behind Moncrieffe and the team’s best rate on the offensive glass, one that would’ve made him a top-100 offensive rebounder nationally with qualified minutes.

Gomma said he plans to be a physical presence who can finish around the rim and be “incredibly efficient.” He shot 58.2% over his two seasons at Seattle. As a sophomore, his offensive rating (120.4) and defensive rating (99.9) were both good. A review of game highlights appears to back up his claims.

If he plays the center spot, he’ll join sophomore Declan Cutler and freshman Bourgeois Tshilobo as players currently in that role.

“Bringing my physicality, high motor, my energy and toughness, someone who’s a lob threat, draws a lot of gravity to the rim, someone who is proud to play their role and impact winning …  I’m just really excited and thankful for this opportunity, and excited to get out there,” he said.

Andrew Khauv, Seattle Athletics