How Caleb Grill Showed Character of Mizzou in Response to Benching

The guard for the Missouri Tigers scored a career-high in response to being benched.

Nov. 11, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) huddles with the rest of the team during a game against Eastern Washington at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

COLUMBIA, Mo. — Dennis Gates saw exactly the response he was looking for from Caleb Grill Monday.

When Missouri's season started, Grill hadn't played in a game since Dec. 3 of 2023. He was desperate to make an impact on the stat sheet. Ahead of Monday's game against Eastern Washington, Grill had scored six points in a combined 42 minutes. He was 0-for-7 on free throws.

"Caleb put pressure on himself, and he's been itching to get back," head coach Dennis Gates said.

Monday, however, Grill scored eight free-point shots to help secure a 88-74 win for the Tigers.

"He was mad at me, and he responded," Gates said. "It's just that simple. We hugged and made up, but I benched him. Accountability is growth, and he allowed me to hold him accountable."

Nov. 11, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) during a game against the Eastern Washington Eagles at Mizzou Arena. / Amber WInkler/MissouriOnSI

Gates had benched Grill against Howard. He had put enough pressure on himself already. It was hurting his play as he focused on solely searching for points instead of the other ways he could impact the game defensively or as a leader.

"He didn't focus on his leadership," Gates said. "we had conversations to make sure that he takes the sort of the the highlight off of just wanting to make baskets."

After being benched, Grill responded in the way Gates was hoping.

Grill bounced back with a career-high of 33 points against Eastern Washington, more than a quarter of Missouri's output in the win. The performance was the best showing of what Missouri hoped to receive from Grill when he transferred over from Iowa State ahead of the 2023 season. It was also the result of exactly what Grill was looking for from Gates' program.

"Coach [Gates] holding me accountable is one of the main reasons why I came here, because I just think that's a huge piece as a coach," Grill said.

Grill was what sent the ball rolling for Missouri in the first half after falling to a 12-4 deficit in the first four minutes while Grill remained on the bench.. In the three minutes that followed, Grill was subbed in and made two shots from the free-throw line, his first three-point make of the season, and topped it off with a fast-break dunk.

Grill was able to get in a flow offensively by focusing on everything else besides trying to see the glory a career-day would bring.

"It just happens as it develops," Grill said of the streak. "My intention to go into the game was, how can I elevate defensively and how can I elevate our team offensively. That's really what my mentality was."

"Once he stopped thinking that way, voila, the basket grew, all of a sudden," Gates said. "That's just the pressure young people face."

Grill's response at the start of the game was a streak to show he took the message from Gates the right way. His response at the end sealed the game for Missouri.

After Eastern Washington's Mason Williams sinked a three-point shot in the final two minutes to bring the Eagles within four points. 26 seconds later, Grill made his final shot from outside the arc to finish the job.

Nov. 11, 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Caleb Grill (31) during a game against the Eastern Washington Eagles. / Amber Winkler/MissouriOnSI

Gates saw the Monday's performance as a moment of growth for both Grill, and the rest of the team. Grill's performance alone led to a stark improvement for Missouri on three-point shots, jumping from a 3-for-22 rate against Howard to 10-for-18 against Eastern Washington.

"It showed our character top to bottom," Gates said of the win. "We made some tweaks, and I thought our guys was able to execute the game plan. ... You can slowly see us going in the right direction."

The win was another step for Missouri toward finding its identity for the 2024-'25 season. Grill's leadership and confidence as a team captain will be a defining aspect of that identity. The mindset adjustment from Grill is the character Gates hopes to see the rest of his team build.

"The magic word is unselfishness," Gates said. "That's ultimately the word we have to focus on."

Missouri and Grill will continue to work through its non-conference slate, next hosting Mississippi Valley State Thursday at 6:30 p.m.

Read more Missouri Tigers news:

Caleb Grill, Mark Mitchell Lead Mizzou Past Eastern Washington