It probably wasn’t long after James Naismith first got the notion to toss a soccer ball into an elevated peach basket in 1891 that guys started devoting their lunch hours to pickup basketball games.

Stop by the Riverfront YMCA or the Central Campus courts at lunchtime, and you’ll find guys who have pounded the boards for more than 20 years.   “It’s part of your daily activities, like having your coffee,” said Dave Gibson, a 50-year-old salesman who figures he’s been coming down to Central Campus over his lunch hours for more than two decades. “It’s a place where you can go to burn off some frustrations from work.”

In addition to a core group that plays full-court for an hour and a half each Monday, Wednesday and Friday, word-of-mouth usually attracts one or two new players each year, he said. The courts are part of the Central Campus Wellness Center, which offers public memberships.

Tate Sinclair, a 33-year-old Meredith Corp. employee, started out playing at the Riverfront YMCA in a company league six years ago, which then moved over to Central Campus. Co-workers from Meredith make up about half of the eight to 15 guys playing at Central Campus on any given day. Among some of the other regulars are a restaurant manager and an insurance broker.

“It’s just a great way to stay in shape, and you get to know the guys,” Sinclair said. Are they pretty competitive? “Oh, yeah, we play pretty hard,” he said.

At the Riverfront YMCA, informal lunchtime basketball has “just kind of evolved into its own program,” said Scott Harris, executive director of that location.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. each day, both courts are going with pickup games, he said. “The great thing is, anybody can come and play,” he said. “There are all kinds of skill levels out there.” Most players buy memberships, though some purchase one-day passes for $10.

Another group of guys faithfully trek to the Y every Tuesday and Friday afternoon around 3:30. “We’ve had some older players who have been coming down here for 25 years at the same time,” Harris said. “They’ve really built the friendships and camaraderie.”