Mark Frederick, who grew up in and around Allen Fieldhouse, tonight will play college basketball in Kansas University’s tradition-rich building for the first time.

Frederick, a 2001 Lawrence High grad and son of longtime former KU athletic director Bob Frederick, is a first-year walk-on for Kansas State’s team, which visits tonight for a 7:05 tipoff.

“It is certainly special because I’ve seen a lot of games in Allen Fieldhouse. I can’t even remember the first time I was in there. I’ve shot a lot of baskets in there,” said Frederick, a 6-foot-5 guard who has hit three of four shots while playing sparingly in four Wildcat games.

“I’ve tried to not make a big deal out of it,” Frederick said. “It’s not going to be what I thought it was before I came up here (KSU) because I’ve got great friendships with my teammates, and I want them all to do well.

“It’s another road game, another challenge.”

Frederick, who played basketball and golf at Lawrence High, attended KU the past two years. But he spent some time playing pick-up basketball in Manhattan last spring and summer and ultimately was offered a walk-on spot by Wildcat coach Jim Wooldridge.

He saw immediate action at the end of KSU’s first game, a win over Birmingham Southern.

“I was really nervous. The ball was passed to me, and I couldn’t believe I was in the game,” said Frederick, who has two years of eligibility remaining after this season. “I was trying to figure out what was going on and passed up a wide-open three. The next game I was able to get open and knock down my first shot (18-footer against Lipscomb). It gave me confidence I could do this.”

Frederick scored four points in KSU’s last game, Saturday’s home win over Savannah State.

“Saturday night was fun because Mark got in and had some success. It makes it all worthwhile,” said Bob Frederick, who worked as KU athletic director for 14 years before retiring in April 2001. He now is a professor in the school of education, while Mark’s mom, Margey, is director of visitor services and special events at KU.

“My biggest concern is that Mark has been worried he has put his mother and me in an awkward position, and that’s foolish,” Bob Frederick said, “because he didn’t realize how important the fact is that he is our son. That overcomes any other factor, just like it was with Brad. We’ll continue to support Mark and cheer for Mark.”

Brad Frederick, now an assistant coach at Vanderbilt, was a walk-on at North Carolina. Bob occasionally made it to Chapel Hill, N.C., for Carolina games and this year has seen nine of 11 KSU games. He missed a win over Wichita State because of a teaching conflict and a win over Wyoming because of icy road conditions.

Frederick and his wife will attend tonight, and perhaps Mark will get in the game.

“It’s gone well,” Mark said of his first season as a college athlete. “I was a little nervous at the beginning of the year. I hadn’t played competitive basketball since my senior year in high school, but I’ve started to relax lately and play.

“We have improved,” he said of the 8-3 Wildcats. “I think the guys have really been stepping up in practice lately. Everybody is excited for the start of Big 12 play.”