Carter Callan

Jalen Wilson scored his 2000th point on Tuesday, February 11th, celebrating after the game with his coach Damian Johnson.

Seniors Jalen Wilson and Kendall McGee hit a milestone only a few players in Benilde-St. Margaret’s basketball history have hit. On Tuesday, February 11th, Wilson reached 2000 career points scored for BSM basketball and just a few days later McGee completed her cycle also reaching 2000 career points. Their accomplishments will be among the names of BSM legends such as Jordan Taylor ‘08 and Olivia Olson ‘24.

Wilson, a University of Northern Iowa basketball signee, has been playing the great sport of basketball for a very long time. Growing up, he was always passionate about the game but never thought his game would get him here. “It’s pretty cool, considering when I started playing basketball, that I would score 2000 [points]. I think the entire experience and journey has been super surreal,” Wilson said.

McGee, a Creighton University basketball signee, has been a basketball star in the making for years. She had a tough junior campaign while recovering from a knee injury, which sidelined her for the entire season. This pushed back getting to 2000 points for her senior year, making it bittersweet. “Not being able to have my junior season, I would say, [it’s] much greater of an accomplishment for myself, and being able to still reach my goals and be able to do things like [reaching 2000 points],” McGee said.

Damien Johnson has been a basketball mastermind for a while. He is now the BSM Boys Basketball head coach. Originally from Louisiana, he found a home playing basketball at the University of Minnesota for four years. In his time around the game, he has seen many players develop. He has shown a lot of praise for Wilson’s game since he was in seventh grade. “He could do a lot of different things on the court, you see a lot of kids inside that can’t do anything, but he could dribble, shoot, pass, he’s a pretty well-rounded player,” Johnson said.

Senior Isabella Yacoub is another member of the girl’s varsity basketball team and has played with McGee the past four years. She had very high praise for McGee not only as a basketball player but as a teammate as well. “She also is really good at giving advice on the bench when she subbed out, or even on the court. Lifting up other players and making sure that they’re in the right mindset, or staying positive even if they make a mistake, she’s the first one to bring them up and tell them, ‘you’re good, you got it,’” Yacoub said.

Both McGee and Wilson are signed to play Division I basketball next year. Not only this, but both are going to schools that bring in high-end talent every year. Both reached 2000 points just a week apart and said that some special people reached out, including college coaches. “It was a great feeling knowing that my college coach recognized what I did, and it made me feel really good,” Wilson said.