OKLAHOMA CITY — Before leaving his home in Glens Falls, N.Y., to begin a prolific college basketball career at BYU, Jimmer Fredette spent time in prison.
He chose to.
As an 18-year-old who had never committed a crime, Fredette regularly visited nearby penitentiaries with his older brother and played competitive basketball with the inmates. It was his way of giving back.
The decision to take the hardwood with criminals surprised many at the time, but now that the Cougars' junior guard is the talk of the NCAA Tournament after scoring 37 points in a first- round victory against Florida, he gets to speak proudly of it.
Before every game he plays, he feeds off those memories.
"To get to the recreational facility where the basketball court is, you've got to walk right through the yard," Fredette said. "It's where everybody is just chilling there, hanging out and they're looking at you."
"It was a little intimidating at first, seeing all these inmates watching you (from) the stands, but it was a great experience. It made you mentally tough."
Heading into Saturday's 7:10 p.m. second-round game against No. 2-seed Kansas State at the Ford Center, players and coaches who have seen him play are marveling at much more than his ability to keep his focus in tough situations.
After studying him on video, K-State forward Jamar Samuels thinks he is the best guard the Wildcats have seen all season. He said Fredette may possess even more talent than Wildcats leading scorer Jacob Pullen.
Pullen was agitated by that suggestion, but Samuels insists that in some ways it's true.
"My highlights on tape make me look good, but his highlights make him look like he should be in the NBA right now," Samuels said. "The way he scores the ball, he makes everything look so easy. I have yet to see him sweat, yet to see him miss a free throw, yet to miss an outside shot. He's a really good player."
Fredette has recorded some of the most brilliant individual efforts in college basketball this season. During a blowout victory at Arizona, he scored 49 points. Against TCU in the Mountain West Conference Tournament, he went off for 45. He has broken the 30- point barrier six other times. He's averaging 21.7.
BYU guard Jackson Emery said he regularly sees frustrated opponents ease up and start watching him when he's at the top of his game. As for him, well, he's used to big nights from Fredette by now.
"At times it probably should surprise you, because it's a lot of points, but at the same time when you see him play in practice and in the summer it doesn't surprise you," Emery said. "He does it all the time. In practice when you play to 10, he scores all 10 in a couple minutes."
Holding Fredette to a low scoring output is K-State's main goal Saturday. The Wildcats have been looking for ways to do it.
And the topic of who will guard Fredette has been a popular conversation in the locker room. As of Friday afternoon, the plan is for top defender Dominique Sutton to start on him and Pullen to switch in throughout the game.
"It's going to be one of the toughest challenges I've faced all year," Sutton said. "But I'm going to be up for it."
"We're a good defensive team," Pullen added. "This is a chance for us to really showcase those defensive skills."
Everyone on K-State's roster was complimentary of Fredette, and so was coach Frank Martin. How could he not be?
But Martin scoffs at the notion that his players have never faced a more explosive scorer. This season alone, the Wildcats have gone up against Kansas' Sherron Collins, Big 12 Player of the Year James Anderson of Oklahoma State, Texas A&M's Donald Sloan, Baylor's LaceDarius Dunn, Texas' Damion James and Washington State's Klay Thompson.
All capable of putting up huge numbers.
"I don't think our guys get the credit they deserve on defense," Martin said. "We've had hard matchups all year. We just have to trust that somehow we're going to have the resolve to do it again."
But no one on that list ever played prison basketball like Fredette.