Josh Gomes grew up on the east coast where he picked up his first nerf ball and at that point, a basketball star was born.

Last Saturday night, Gomes scored a career-high 40 points in a win over Tennessee-Martin. His performance is the highest single-game point total this year in the Ohio Valley Conference. Gomes is also tied for the lead in field goals made with 15.

Gomes started playing organized basketball at age 6 after his family moved to Connecticut. But it wasn’t until Gomes’ freshman year of high school that he realized he was a pretty good ball player.

“I got cut in eighth grade and it motivated me to start playing more,” Gomes said.

Gomes and his family picked up from Connecticut and moved again; this time to Indiana.

“I made the freshman team and then the next year made varsity as a sophomore,” Gomes said.

After a successful sophomore season, Gomes transferred to Heritage Christian High School in Indianapolis for his junior year.

Gomes said two guys he played with at Heritage Christian now play Division I-A basketball at Ole Miss and Liberty.

“Those were some fun times,” Gomes said.

In the summer before his senior year, Gomes was told his eligibility had run out because he had switched to the Indiana State Athletic Association.

An obstacle like this would put a damper on most people’s basketball careers, but Gomes refused to sit out his senior season. He transferred yet again to a private school called Frankfort Christian High School which was an hour away from his home.

Gomes sacrificed two hours of his day to and from school all because he would not be denied his senior basketball season.

At Frankfort Christian, Gomes averaged 29.9 points per game under coach John Sherman Williams. Gomes holds the school record for single game points with 41 and field goal percentage (68).

Gomes said Williams is his main influence when it comes to basketball.

“When coach Williams said something, you had to listen,” Gomes said. “He played with Larry Bird at Indiana State University.”

When it came time for Gomes to choose a college, he was looking at mid-major schools like Western Kentucky, Indiana State and Butler. However, Gomes chose Eastern.

Williams learned about his former player’s 40-point game Saturday from Gomes’ father and wasn’t surprised.

“That’s the Josh Gomes I know,” Williams said. “I knew it was just a matter of time before he had a breakout game like that.”

Head coach Rick Samuels said Gomes has come a long way since he first came to Eastern.

“He had to make a giant leap from that small Christian high school just in terms of competition he faced not only in games, but also in practice,” Samuels said.

Gomes said in high school he could just get out on the court and play, relying on nothing more than his talents. He said in college it’s harder for him to be mentally focused all the time.

“He knows how important it is to take a different approach to the college atmosphere,” Williams said. “He knows he has to practice hard and keep up with his studies in addition to playing basketball.”

When Gomes first came to Eastern he expected to play a lot of minutes as a freshman. “I didn’t get to play that much last year, but I knew I had to accept my role,” Gomes said.

Former Eastern basketball standout, Henry Domercant was a big part in Gomes’ maturation process.

“Henry always worked hard on and off the court,” Gomes said. “When everyone was out having fun, he was in the gym shooting. Before classes in the morning and before games, he was shooting.”

Williams said Gomes was a hard worker in high school and Domercant just helped him work even harder.

“I’ll have to thank him when I see him,” Gomes said.

Going from being cut in eighth grade to scoring almost 30 points per game in high school, Gomes now finds himself as the Panthers’ number one option.

“I don’t look at being the go-to guy as pressure,” Gomes said. “I just know I have to work harder than most people do. It’s something I look forward to.”

“He’s the go-to guy,” Samuels said. “He’s a player that can put up big numbers and he makes other people better by moving so well.”

Even though he is the star player, he hasn’t taken on the role of team leader this season.

“He’s not our leader yet,” Samuels said. “Josh will become that some day.”