It’s a Saturday morning at the gym. Inside, nine boys are trying to start a pick-up basketball game.

The problem is they are one man short.

A younger girl also is standing in the gym. At eleven years old, she shouldn’t be able to play with the older boys. But the boys need someone and they huddle together to discuss their dilemma.

Should the boys let her play?

In most cases, the answer would be no, but for NIU guard Jessie Wilcox, she got the chance to prove herself.

Even at a young age, Wilcox had the privilege of playing with the big boys in the gym.

Wilcox’s father, Jamie Wilcox, worked at a Boys and Girls Club in Wisconsin and any time Wilcox wanted to play ball, all she had to do was ask.

“Ever since I was little I played and worked with my dad everyday,” Wilcox said. “We played a lot of other sports, not just basketball.”

Of course, being a little girl playing with older kids was not always safe. Wilcox said she had her share of bumps and bruises.

“On Friday nights, we played a game called cage,” Wilcox said. “I was the only girl in it. One day, this boy was coming down and ran me over in the bleachers. I wasn’t afraid, even though I got hurt a lot.”

The physical and mental pain Wilcox endured only helped her when she played for her high school traveling team.

“I didn’t learn fundamentals from playing with the boys,” Wilcox said. “But that’s where the passion came from. My dad taught me the fundamentals.”

Her father was her coach and every game was a chance for Wilcox to do things that would make him smile.

“We shared the love of sports,” Wilcox said. “Everything I did, I wanted to make him happy. My dad gave me a lot of motivation.”

That motivation from her father had a lot to do with her choice of wearing number 10 — the number worn by both her dad and her older brother, Jordan.

Wilcox carries on that family tradition today every time she takes the court for NIU.

And it’s a fitting tribute for a father who showed his little girl the ropes.