"Waiting for noon ball?" the man said. "Theyıll be here in 10 minutes."

Iıd never been here before, just heard the stories. Would it be like Fight Club? Would I walk away with bruises and know a secret handshake by the end of the day?

No, but I did make some new friends. Noon ball, a basketball game that takes place every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday is an activity that has, over the years, brought together the young and old, the student and the faculty, the delinquent and the director of Public Safety, and recently a President. There are no restrictions on membership and the networking that goes on is half of the ball game.

Noon ball is simple pick-up basketball with a simple rule: if you win, you keep playing. In New York City, playground legends like Stephon Marbury have gone on to great stardom and fame. At St. Olaf, the camaraderie that takes place during noon ball has acquired a legacy and legend all its own.

"Skip lunch. Skip class. Priorities," said KG, that is, senior Kevin Gentz, not Kevin Garnett. Gentz is one of the regulars among the students and the competition and love of the game is what has brought him here day in and day out. "You leave it on the court, weıre still friends at the end of the day."

Gary Anderson, director of the Career Development Center, is the commissioner of noon ball. He was awarded that title by admissions counselor Larue Pierce because he is the oldest member of the group. Anderson is the leader, the talker on the court. His friendliness is contagious and reassuring. "I once did a mock interview with someone between games," he proudly admitted.

"One of the rules," said Anderson. "I keep score and I usually round up."

Noon ball is not an official game by any means, but the tradition that it has carried with it lasts longer than Skogland Gym itself. The longest tenured member, history professor Bob Nichols has been playing since 1973. "That was back when they played on grass courts and nailed up peach baskets," chided Anderson.

But the wisdom that the gang of faculty members provides should not overshadow their intense competitive drive and talent.

"They can pretty much shoot well," said junior Tony Lee. "And that makes their game a threat."

The regulars take pride in their club. Especially Anderson. "Iıve been at this for 10 years now and we see some alums come back and they canıt stay with us."

"What makes this so great is that we have an incredibly diverse group. We have young. We have professors of history, religion, classics, music. Iım the director of the CDC and then thereıs Fred Behr, the director of Public Safety," said Anderson. "But it can get pretty rough and tumble."

That was his warning to me before the game. These guys took an hour or two out of their day to come down and play basketball. I couldnıt help but wonder if they ever went back to work with any injuries to show for there activities.

"A guy got head-butted a while ago," said Behr. "He never came back."

"President Thomforde got hurt the first time he came," said Anderson. "But heıll be back."

"I hurt myself the other day swatting away a shot," said Pierce. "I got a small little hairline fracture when I landed on my wrist."

"When he hit the ground," said Anderson, "the whole building shook."

"You should see the guy I landed on," said Pierce, flashing a friendly smile.

I wished Pierce was on my team. Pierce is the Shaquille OıNeal of the group. His gigantic inside presence of pure muscle would make you quiver, but when he flashes his equally gigantic smile, you canıt help but cheer for him. At least I did until I stepped in his way while he tried to drive in for a game winner. I walked away from that encounter unscathed‹but we still lost the game.

The legends will grow and the game will evolve. "Itıs not about basketball," said Nichols. "Itıs the exercise and the cross-cut of college‹itıs a nice way to mix in an informal way‹thatıs what I like about it, plus I get to practice my monster dunks."

And, as if we had just gotten started, the games ended. We returned to our own unique lives, waiting for the next opportunity to build upon the tales.