Caleb Grill is much more than a sharpshooter for Iowa State men’s basketball

AMES — Caleb Grill’s been aptly labeled a sharpshooter.

He’s been exhorted to “fire up the grill” from long range, and lately, the veteran Iowa State guard’s been doing just that.

But Grill’s value to the No. 14 Cyclones goes far beyond a flick of the wrist that frequently ends with a swish.

The 6-foot-3, Wichita, Kan., native enters Saturday’s 3 p.m. matchup with No. 2 Kansas (ESPN+) hottest where it matters the most for T.J. Otzelberger’s men’s basketball team: On the defensive end of the floor.

“He's highly competitive, plays really hard, takes a lot of pride in our defense, gets stops,” the Cyclones head coach said. “He’s been a terrific defensive rebounder.”

Grill started his college career at ISU, transferred to UNLV to play under Otzelberger and then returned with his coach. He has played more minutes this season than any other Cyclone.

He's shooting 39.1 percent from behind the 3-point line, which is a career best by a wide margin, but he’s also averaging 1.7 steals per game and 4.3 rebounds from the shooting guard spot, which has helped ISU (13-2, 4-0 Big 12) get off to its best start in conference play since the 1999-2000 season.

“I think everyone’s really comfortable with how we're playing right now and what everybody's doing,” Grill said. “Everyone has a lot of confidence in themselves right now. So almost any shot anybody takes everyone thinks they're gonna go in.”

That’s a stark change from last season, when the Cyclones often relied upon one-and-done graduate transfer Izaiah Brockington to score prolifically in most games. ISU’s offense now comes from many sources, most notably guard Gabe Kalscheur, who has ironed out consistency issues to join fellow guard Jaren Holmes to generally carry the points load.

“It's great to see the level of confidence he's playing with that he earns every single day,” Otzleberger said. "He's earning it and I love seeing how aggressive he's playing out there.

“You know, he's getting his feet ready getting into his shots, attacking the closeouts, making plays, just really valuing the ball and the possession, and our guys see it, and so their confidence in him has continued to grow. So really proud of him. I've said over and over how hard he works to do it and it’s just great to see.”

So bring on the Jayhawks in Allen Fieldhouse. The Cyclones have won four straight Big 12 road games dating back to last season for the same reason Grill’s become a more consistent contributor on both ends of the floor. They defend.

Some wave the white flag — as Texas Tech did in last Tuesday’s rout. Kansas most definitely will not surrender, especially at home.

“They have great pace and speed and push the ball in transition and are very well coached,” Otzleberger said. “They still have a defensive grit and toughness to how they play and a confidence that they believe they should win the game and especially at home. All those things are factors.”

Grill may be ISU’s X-factor on both ends of the floor. He’s skilled and he’s tough. He’s battled though cold streaks and found that success can begin with denial, not acceptance.

“Just his willingness to give up his body for the team,” freshman guard Demarion Watson said. “He’s an amazing teammate, amazing guy. Him being that leader for me has been huge for my development.”

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