Iowa State dismisses G Caleb Grill, adding to Cyclones’ late-season woes ahead of 2023 NCAA Tournament

Iowa State has dismissed guard Caleb Grill after “failure to meet program expectations,” the Cyclones said in a statement Wednesday. “We hold our players to high standards and expect our student-athletes to be accountable,” said Cyclones head coach TJ Otzelberger.

A senior in his second stint in Ames — he joined the program in 2019, spent his sophomore season with UNLV and then returned to Iowa State for the final two seasons — Grill scored 9.5 points per game this season, third on the team. He led the Cyclones in 3-point percentage (36.8%) and was third in rebounds per game (4.0).

The dismissal comes at a difficult time for Otzelberger’s team on the court. The Cyclones have lost four straight and eight of their last 10, falling to the No. 8 seed in Jerry Palm’s Bracketology. The Cyclones also fell out of the latest AP Top 25 for the first time since the calendar year began.

Grill had played in 25 of Iowa State’s 29 games this season with 22 starts. He had recently missed time with a back injury and had totaled just 11 points over his last four games with the team. Iowa State (17-12, 8-9 Big 12) concludes its regular season Saturday at Baylor. The Big 12 Tournament begins on March 8.