Zach Edey is impossible to miss nowadays.

The 7-foot-4 junior is literally the center of attention each time Purdue takes the court. Every opponent's game plan focuses on limiting Edey's impact, but few have had success against this season's Wooden Award favorite.

It's quite the rise for a player that hadn't played organized basketball until 10th grade. Edey spent his childhood playing hockey and baseball before eventually outgrowing both sports.

Between the seventh and eighth grades, Edey spurted eight inches to 6-foot-10. It became difficult to find hockey equipment to accommodate Edey's new frame, specifically skates for his size 20 feet. The Toronto native's rapidly changing body also created problems on the diamond. At the plate, Edey's strike zone was now enormous. Pitching began to take its physical toll on him as well.

Edey finally turned to basketball as a 7-foot-2 high school sophomore, getting his feet wet that December on a recreational team coached by his friend's father. In March 2018, Edey caught the eye of Northern Kings AAU executive director Vidal Massiah at a tournament. Massiah subsequently invited Edey to try out for the Northern Kings, and he soon joined the grassroots program.

The former St. Bonaventure forward took Edey under his wing, teaching him the basics of the game. But in order to really nurture his raw talent, Massiah turned to an old friend.

Brian Nash coached Massiah during his time with the Bonnies and is now the director of basketball at IMG Academy. The Florida-based school is renowned for its skill development and has sent 11 players to the Association since 2005. Nash had remained in contact with Massiah over the years, and the latter relentlessly vouched for Edey.

"(Vidal) had sent me some clips of Zach just in the gym. It wasn't game film. It was just him doing one-on-zeros in the post, and he just kept saying, 'Hey, you gotta look at this kid. You gotta look at him,'" Nash told theScore. "And there really wasn't a lot of traction at that time."

Edey visited IMG Academy in May as part of an Under Armour basketball camp. Nash was immediately intrigued by Edey's towering stature and what he could become.