Why Wichita NCAA Tournament site means more to Missouri basketball guard Caleb Grill
WICHITA, Kan. — Dennis Gates’ pitch to Missouri basketball fans was fairly simple.
Wichita is “drivable,” he told Missouri fans in Mizzou Arena after it was announced the 6-seeded Tigers would play 11-seed Drake in the Round of 64 of the NCAA Tournament on Thursday, so he better see them in the Kansas capital to support the team.
For the family of Missouri senior Caleb Grill, “drivable” is an understatement.
Grill was named the Kansas Male Athlete of the Year during his time playing basketball, baseball, quarterback in football and competing in track and field at Maize High School, just northwest of Wichita.
His father, Chris, played basketball for Wichita State. His mother, Lena, was a basketball player at Butler Community College, just a short drive up I-35 from Wichita in El Dorado, Kansas. His younger brothers, Kyle and Alec, currently attend Fort Hays State and Maize High in Kansas, respectively.
“You know, it's exciting, just because of the amount of miles that my mom and my dad and my brothers have put in and the rest of my family members have put in,” Grill told local media after the field was announced Sunday. “So, having them be able to have a game close to them, and where I got to travel to them — I think that's what I'm more excited about more than anything, is to see how many of those close friends, close family members that I've had come throughout the whole year, and being able to play within 10-15 minutes of where they live.
“I’m more excited about that part and being able to go back home.”
There’s a chance this game could never have come.
Grill needed a medical redshirt to be eligible to play this season. He broke his wrist — in a game against Wichita State — in December 2023 and missed the remainder of the 2023-24 campaign. He entered that year as an expected one-and-done transfer from Iowa State.
Then, this season, he injured his neck during a game against Lindenwood in December while challenging a rebound. He spent five full games on the sideline before returning to a full-time role in SEC play.
“It’s been a tough couple of years dealing with injuries, and being able to play most of the season fairly healthy — I can't thank our doctors here, our athletic training staff, strength coach just all really helping me stay healthy and doing everything they can to make me game ready for each game going forward,” Grill said. “And I can't give them enough credit for (them helping) keep me healthy throughout the whole course of the season.
“Now that the time is here, … this is what we dreamed of doing when we were little. So, we’ve just got to take advantage of the opportunity that we're given.”
Grill has been to the NCAA Tournament before — on two occasions, both during his time at Iowa State.
Indeed, there’s an interesting parallel between this season and the 2021-22 campaign in Ames.
Only three high major teams have ever gone winless in conference one year and rebounded to make the Big Dance the next. Grill was on two of those bounceback squads.
Maryland did it in the 80s. Iowa State went 0-18 in the Big 12 in 2020-21, when Grill was not on the squad, but made the Sweet 16 in 2021-22. Missouri, after an 0-19 SEC season that Grill spent mostly on the sidelines, is heading to the guard’s hometown for the first round this year.
The Tigers are dancing, and Grill is among the major reasons why. He’s a 40.5% shooter from 3-point range, and Mizzou’s second-leading scorer behind Mark Mitchell with 13.7 points per game. His all-around game — the unrelenting hustle — shouldn’t go unappreciated.
The road starts at INTRUST Bank Arena in Wichita — where Grill said he’s never actually played — against Drake, with tipoff scheduled for 6:35 p.m. Thursday.
The setting is important, but the stage matters more.
“This is just what everyone dreams about when they play basketball in college,” Grill said. “You know, growing up, everybody wants to go to the NCAA Tournament. And all the hard work you put in since you first got here in June with this team, it's just paid off. How connected we've gotten with one another, and the connectivity that we had, that really brought us together a lot faster.
“And we're just so grateful that our name was called today, and we’ve just got to prepare for the next game.”
This article originally appeared on Columbia Daily Tribune: Why Wichita NCAA Tournament site means more to Mizzou guard Caleb Grill
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