Benilde-St. Margaret's forward Jalen Wilson steals a pass from Orono guard Nolan Groves (5) late in the second half of a game Jan. 30. (Jeff Wheeler/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

When Jalen Wilson gets ready for a Benilde-St. Margaret’s basketball game, he wraps white tape around his left wrist and writes “Silas” on the inside.

The letters are a reminder of his late father, Silas Wilson. Silas helped introduce Wilson to basketball and would hoop with his 5-year-old son on park courts near their south Minneapolis home.

After a four-year battle with colon cancer, Silas died last August. “He’s definitely one of the main reasons that I’m still playing today, and definitely one of the main reasons why I am in the position I’m in today,” Wilson said. “[He] kept me grounded, kept me working.”

Wilson, a 6-7 senior, is one of Minnesota’s best basketball players. He’s a finalist for Mr. Basketball, and in the fall he’ll play Division I college basketball at Northern Iowa.

For more on Wilson, click here to read the story on startribune.com.