Mizzou’s Caleb Grill returns home for NCAA Tournament action

MAIZE, Kan. (KMIZ)

Mizzou guard Caleb Grill's final NCAA Tournament ride of his collegiate career will kickoff in a familiar setting, on Thursday.

When the No. 6-seeded Tigers face off against No. 11-seeded Drake in the Round of 64 in Wichita, Kansas, it'll mark a homecoming for Grill. The graduate student grew up in Maize, Kansas which is about 25 minutes away from Intrust Bank Arena, where the first and second rounds of NCAA Tournament action will be held.

"It's a blue collar community," his mom Lena Grill said. "Everybody works hard, but they appreciate hard workers... That's who he is and that's who the Maize community is. Those are the players he's played with and the coaches he's had. I think Wichita is that." 

Grill was molded by the town of Maize, where he thrived as a multi-sport athlete. The Tiger star was named the Kansas Male Athlete of the Year at Maize, earned all-state honors playing basketball, set the football program's passing record with 3,122 and 45 touchdowns, while also winning a Class 5A state title in the high jump.

All of that success carried him to a college career, but the most impressive part is how he did it.

He's done a lot of things, but he's done a lot of things the right way," his dad Chris Grill said.

Thursday night's game against Drake will be the first time that Grill has ever played at Intrust Bank Arena, but he will have quite a crowd there supporting him.

That crowd will include his brother, Kyle Grill, who plays basketball at Fort Hays State University. It'll be the first time that he's gotten to watch his brother play all season.

"I haven't been able to watch a game of him this year. I was only able to watch one game last year, so that'll be really fun," he said.

The Grill family has had fun watching the magic of the 2024-25 Tiger campaign, both from near and afar.

"It's been pretty awesome. Everybody is having success there and, you know, Caleb getting injured and coming back and then leading the nation in 3-point percentage, it was just unbelievable," Caleb's brother Alec said.

Although it'll be a full circle moment for this basketball family, they have strong hopes that the journey will not end in Caleb's hometown.

"We don't think it's gonna end here. We're hoping it ends in San Antonio," Lena said.

Grill and Mizzou will tipoff against Drake at 6:35 p.m. on Thursday, March 20 in Wichita.