What the Addition of Transfer Caleb Grill Would Mean for West Virginia

Another portal addition incoming?

Bob Huggins has completely revamped his roster this offseason thanks to some big additions through the transfer portal. WVU has already landed the PAC 12's assist leader, Kerr Kriisa, and a double-double, shot-blocking machine in Jesse Edwards.

Those two plus the pair of Manhattan transfers, Jose Perez and Omar Silverio, give West Virginia one of the top transfer portal classes in the country. But Huggins and his staff are far from being done. 

They are currently hosting Iowa State transfer guard Caleb Grill on a visit and will host former Pitt big man John Hugley later this week.

What exactly is the importance of someone like Grill? How does he fit in? 

Well, for starters, he's got experience playing in the gauntlet that is the Big 12 Conference. Sometimes transfers don't realize what they're getting themselves into when transferring into a Big 12 program and they hit a wall midway through the season. Grill understands the league and has had success in it. That experience and veteran presence will be key, even in helping Kriisa and Perez make the transition to this level of basketball. 

As of today, West Virginia would probably roll out a starting five that consists of Kerr Kriisa, Joe Toussaint, Jose Perez, Tre Mitchell, and Jesse Edwards. If the Mountaineers were to land Grill, you can probably go ahead and pencil him in Toussaint's place. This isn't a slight at Joe by any means. If Huggins can use him off the bench, that keeps him out of foul trouble which allows him to play more aggressively on the defensive end of the floor. Plus, he can give WVU a spark offensively as well.

More importantly, Grill gives WVU their Erik Stevenson replacement. Is he going to explode for 25+ points on any given night? No, not necessarily. But he is capable of hitting big-time shots and he even brings a little bit of that swagger and trash talk that Stevenson brought to the table. He's not just a three-point shooter, either. He can put pressure on the rim and finish through traffic. And defensively, he can get after you. 

Grill has started 51 games in his career and has averaged 6.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.4 assists per game while shooting 38% from the field, 34% from three, and 69% from the charity stripe. 

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