Iowa State basketball's Caleb Grill no longer on team as Big 12, NCAA tournaments near

Iowa State’s already-difficult end to a promising season got significantly harder with a major roster decision.

Caleb Grill, a 22-game starter and Iowa State’s best 3-point shooter, is no longer a member of the program due to “a failure to meet program expectations,” the school announced.

“We hold our players to high standards and there are expectations that our student-athletes are held accountable for,” Iowa State men’s basketball coach T.J. Otzelberger said in a statement released by the school.

It was a shocking development considering Grill’s importance to the team and also taking into account his long history with Otzelberger. Grill committed to Otzelberger at South Dakota State while in high school in Maize, Kan., and then transferred twice in college to play for him at UNLV and Iowa State.

Grill, who did not respond to a request for comment, wrote on social media Wednesday evening that he "said something that I regret which has cost me the opportunity to finish out my dream at Iowa State. I hope that all the players and Iowa State fans can find it in their hearts to forgive me."

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The senior also wrote about mental health challenges he has faced this season.

"While everyone was commenting about the hair or the funny actions on the court," Grill wrote, "it was a way for me to get out of that state of mind and feel like being myself instead of the dark place I have been in this season.

"If ... not for the love and support from my family network back home ... I am not sure I would be alive and I would have made a decision that would have affected so many people's lives."

More: Iowa State men's basketball can't close against West Virginia, drops fourth straight game

Final stretch gets tougher for Iowa State men's basketball

The timing in the season is brutal for the Cyclones, who have lost four straight games and six of their last seven. They’re considered an NCAA Tournament lock, but the slump paired with Grill’s departure has turned the season from one of immense potential to spiraling disappointment.

Grill averaged 9.5 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.4 assists per game while shooting a team-best 36.8% from 3-point range for a group desperate for long-range shooting.

“We need anybody that we can to make perimeter shots to open up the defense,” Otzelberger said after Monday’s loss to West Virginia.

Grill also gave Iowa State additional perimeter speed defensively that allowed them to play four guards at times. Losing that dimension will be a major loss in the final stretch of the season.

“When you look at defensively where we’ve probably been at our best is when we’re four guards and we’re quick to closeouts and we’re quick to the basketball and we’re flying around,” Otzelberger said last month. “That’s probably where our defense is at its strongest. Caleb impacts that.”

More: Iowa State men’s basketball team learns that reckless emotions can be costly in a tight game

Caleb Grill's back injury, recent technical fouls with Iowa State

Grill's season has been largely upended by a back injury he suffered Jan. 17 against Texas.

He was sidelined for the second half of the Cyclones' next game in which they blew a 16-point lead in a loss at Oklahoma State. He returned to the court later that week in a win over Kansas State, but sat out the next game, a 17-point loss at Missouri. He then played in five straight games before missing two more games and then playing in the Cyclones' last two.

"Initially, it pretty much hurt to do almost everything," Grill said last month when discussing the injury. "Running down the floor, getting in a stance, and shooting the ball. I felt like I was a liability out there at first, but now I feel like I’m calming down.

"I’m not healthy yet, but hopefully within the next couple of weeks I’ll be back to 100 percent.”

His play had been largely inconsistent and on-court demeanor became defined by ill-timed outbursts as he dealt with the pain and frustration of the back injury.

In a home loss to Oklahoma State on Feb. 11, Grill missed two of three free throws, committed his fourth foul on the ensuing rebound and then picked up his disqualifying fifth foul on a technical, all before Oklahoma State could shoot free throws. Iowa State trailed by four points with less than minutes to play at the time.

He went scoreless and played just three second-half minutes against TCU two weeks ago. On Monday against West Virginia, he picked up a costly technical foul in a game Iowa State was leading but would go on to lose. The Mountaineers had a player ejected for a Flagrant 2, but got two free throws and possession (which ended with a made 3-pointer for a five-point possession) because both Grill and Jaz Kunc were hit with technicals after their reactions to the foul, an elbow to Kunc's head.

"We need to do a better job not retaliating," Iowa State senior Gabe Kalscheur said after the game Monday. "In the heat of the moment when one of their players is kind of standing over one of our players, it’s the prideful thing to do to back up our players and try to bark at one of their players.

"In that moment and looking back at it, it wasn’t the smartest thing, but at the same time, I wouldn’t take away that from my teammates because I know they have heart, and the will and the brotherhood of having each other’s back. It’s kind of a weird situation."

In his statement, Grill expressed gratitude and appreciation for his time at Iowa State.

"In the end, I want to be remembered as a Cyclone no matter what my next step is," Grill wrote. "I love each and every person who is affiliated with Iowa State and I am proud to be an alumni of this university."

Iowa State finishes the regular season Saturday at Baylor. Tip is scheduled for 11 a.m.

More: Here's how the Iowa State women's basketball can lock up a 2 seed in the Big 12 Tournament

Where to get help

• 988 is the three-digit dialing code to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The lifeline is answered by someone at a crisis center closest to your location. Other resources are available online at 988lifeline.org.

• The Crisis Text Line is a texting service for emotional crisis support. Text SAVE to 741741. Texting with a trained counselor is free at all hours and confidential.

• The Iowa Department of Public Health has a website, yourlifeiowa.org, with information and resources regarding mental health, gambling and alcohol and drug abuse. The program also has 24-hour help available by calling 855-581-8111 or texting 855-895-8398.

• School counselors and family physicians can assess children's struggles and help families find treatment.

• Calling 211 will connect people with social services resources, including mental health counseling.

Travis Hines covers Iowa State University sports for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him at @TravisHines21.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State basketball's Caleb Grill no longer on the Cyclone roster