Everyone else in the room was laughing, so Robert Frozena decided he should, too. What his new coach had just said didn't strike him as particularly funny-having a short-term deadline set on the biggest athletic opportunity of one's life rarely is-but it was in his best interest to join in. So he chuckled.

Marquette head coach Tom Crean's declaration that Frozena, the Golden Eagles' newest walk-on, was on a 10-day contract with the team may have amused everyone else, but its truth struck a more serious chord with its object.

"This is obviously such a huge experience," said Frozena, a 6-foot-1 freshman out of Sherwood, Wis. "It's not like it's just going to be handed to you."

Certainly not. Walk-ons, by nature, are bound by the most selfless of roles. They are told to be tireless workout participants in workouts on and off the court.

Then they are told to sit on the bench during games while their teammates share the spotlight. They cling to the hope that Marquette's opponent is some sort of awful and that the score gets out of hand in time for them to make an appearance.

But in Frozena's case, he's not even assured of that status yet. Though soft-spoken at first, he appears intent on earning a more permanent status on the squad. In fact, he uses that word-earn-often.

When he came to Milwaukee, his main objective was to major in biochemistry, but the people from his hometown made him promise he would give basketball a chance.

"I wasn't going to go to Marquette and not give it a shot, but if I didn't make it, it wasn't going to be the end of the world because I'm here for school," Frozena said.

Initially, it seemed his "not going to be the end of the world" theory might have to be tested out. After the original walk-on tryouts in early September, none of the participants were asked back for additional workouts.

The season began, and Frozena went on with his regular college life. He would study during the week and then trek home two weekends a month to work.

He was preparing to head back to Sherwood three weeks ago when he got a call from a team representative, who wanted to know if Frozena would head down to the Bradley Center and take a physical. Sherwood could wait.

"I was shocked, but I wasn't that nervous or anything," said Frozena, who now is contemplating switching his major to business.

After about a week, the NCAA Clearinghouse approved Frozena's paperwork, and he began practicing with the team. Since then, he has marveled at the coolest perks (brand new shoes) and the biggest surprises (the level of intensity at practices) of the gig.

But the best moment came Friday morning, when Frozena got word from Crean that he would be suiting up for that night's game against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

Before he ran out in front of the fans for the first time as a member of the team, Frozena got some advice from someone who had been in his shoes before. "Follow me," fellow walk-on Tommy Brice said.

Brice, a senior, said he didn't have anyone to talk to when he was the new guy with the 10-day contract, so he wants to do his best to make Frozena feel like "part of the family." He started by leading the freshman through all the pre-game drills of his first Division I collegiate basketball game.

Frozena said he doesn't know where all this will lead, whether he'll secure a position on the team or be told to go his separate way. For now, he's still the wide-eyed kid trying to soak up an experience for which most fans in the Marquette student section would kill.

"It's kind of a cool opportunity," Frozena said.

Yeah, just kind of.