Trevion Williams will almost certainly be Purdue's most important player this season, to the point where the Boilermakers may go as their junior big man goes.

But around Williams on Purdue's front line, questions, lots of them ...

It's been years since Purdue's had reason to wonder about Its depth at the center position, as the A.J. Hammons-Isaac-Haas-Caleb Swanigan trio gave way to the Haas-Swanigan tandem, then Haas-Matt Haarms and then last year's tandem of Williams and Haarms.

Haarms' transfer in the spring left the Boilermakers, though, with a void, with unproven — if not downright raw — young players hoping to step in: Sophomore Emmanuel Dowuona and freshman Zach Edey, players who each came to Purdue from outside the United States who arrived at Purdue with shared experiences — or rather, shared inexperience — as neither of them played organized basketball for more than a few years prior to signing with Purdue.

Both bring considerable physical ability.

Dowuona big and powerful and probably the most athletic big man Purdue's had in years. Edey is 7-foot-3, pushing 300 pounds.

Both are raw, though, and so Purdue's message has focused on simplicity.