Craig Reichel looks like he just chugged a bottle of hot sauce.

Arms are waving in the air, his face is sunburn red and he’s slightly gasping for air.

Some would see him and think to run and grab a glass of water. Thing is, you can hear him laughing down the hall.

“You gotta put that in,” the red-shirt freshman said in between resounding laughs. “If you put in Shrek then you gotta put that in.”

“That” refers to a story about teammate Ben Rand. One that involves spandex shorts, a headband, no other articles of clothing and ping pong.

The image has all of Reichel’s 6-foot-8-inch frame hunched over on the edge of his chair laughing.

After crowing about the story for a little longer, Reichel calmed down and pushed himself back off the edge of his seat.

And for a second he stopped laughing long enough for you to catch a glimpse of a carefree, laid back person.

Suddenly, his eyes light up and you watch as his mind recaptures the image. And with that, the room again fills with laughter.

This is what life is like when you’re Reichel. Everything is just another chance to have fun. And everyone is fair game to have fun with.

“Shrek,” as Rand has so eloquently nicknamed him, isn’t your typical college athlete. He’s more like the anti-athlete.

Imagine John Daly without the bad habits, demons, weight problems and the ability to play basketball and you have Reichel. He’s your best buddy who just happens to tower over you and play basketball for NIU.

Some people freeze up when they’re on the spot in an interview. Reichel spent more time laughing than answering questions.

Ask him about basketball; it’s not his life. Ask about glory; he’s more worried about having fun. Try to get a serious photo; you get him juggling basketballs.

“He likes to have a good time,” Rand said. “That’s just his personality. He’s always laughing.”

The only time the Schaumburg native can be seen being serious is during a game. Well, actually, only when he’s on the court. Sitting on the bench is just another opportunity to joke around.

“We’re supposed to be serious,” the forward said with a smirk.

But once it’s time to hit the court, the smile is left behind.

In his first season, Reichel turned himself into a bona fide power forward who cracked the starting lineup three times.

While NIU coach Rob Judson likes to use him for his size and defense, the lefty has no problem knocking down shots around the perimeter, causing problems for opposing teams.

Of course he’s not worried about causing any problems for anybody. He does his job, plays his role and makes sure he has fun doing it.

But then again, what would you expect? For him to be serious?