Contributing factor

Kalen Grimes never experienced the kind of success he achieved the first few weeks of this season.

Through Missouri’s first nine games, all wins, Grimes averaged 11.2 points and 7.4 rebounds. He started the season by being named MVP of the John Thompson Foundation Classic, a tournament Missouri won on the season’s first weekend. Against Evansville on Dec. 3, Grimes had 12 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season.

It looked like Missouri (11-6, 0-4 Big 12) had found a player to help offset its size and rebounding issues, a player who could compete physically with forwards and centers for rebounds and loose balls.

But just a couple weeks later, it appeared Missouri had found a player who could dominate teams from only mid-major conferences.

Grimes struggled against Purdue in Missouri’s first loss of the season, grabbing only six rebounds and allowing Boilermakers forward Carl Landry to score 23 points. Then Missouri coach Mike Anderson pulled Grimes from the starting lineup for the Braggin’ Rights game against Illinois. Grimes was on the bench for that game, and the next six.

“It didn’t bother me at all,” Grimes said. “I had no problem coming off the bench. It doesn’t matter who starts. You could be the starter, but end up playing only a few seconds.”

Admittedly, a “few seconds” was probably all Grimes deserved against Kansas State on Jan. 13. In seven minutes of play, Grimes had one rebound and two fouls. Without Grimes’ inside presence, or any inside presence at all, Missouri was outrebounded 41-17 and lost by four points.

“I got after myself. That’s unacceptable,” Grimes said of his performance against Kansas State. “I know for us to win, I’m going to have to produce more. I’m going to try to make that never happen again.”

Despite Grimes’ play against the Wildcats, Anderson put him back into the starting lineup against Kansas, the second best rebounding team in the Big 12. Desperate for rebounding, Anderson sacrificed Leo Lyons’ athleticism for Grimes’ size.

Grimes, in a game that looked like some from earlier in the season, got 12 rebounds and helped the Tigers outrebound Kansas 43-42.

“It’s something he’s capable of doing,” Anderson said. “I thought it’s time for Kalen to really start helping our basketball team.”

Grimes said Anderson told him what was needed for the Tigers to beat the Jayhawks. While they didn’t win in Lawrence, Anderson got what he wanted from Grimes.

“He (Anderson) told me to make my goal to go out there and defend and rebound,” Grimes said. “Our team has scorers, and what we’re lacking right now is a physical presence and a guy that rebounds. Every team we lost to we’ve been outrebounded by. So I figured that if I make it my goal to go out there and defend and block shots and rebound, it would give my team a chance to win.”

When Grimes was doing that consistently, it was against teams like Coppin State, Evansville and Lipscomb. Although they may be decent teams that have a chance to make the NCAA Tournament, they aren’t as good as many Big 12 schools.

“Early on in the season, I was more comfortable and I was playing a lot harder,” Grimes admitted. “I think the games I was slacking in I wasn’t focused. My mind-set was something else, and I wasn’t focused on the main goal. I wasn’t focused on what I could do to help my team win.”

And the “slacking”, Grimes said, came from the success he and his team experienced early in the season.

“You can’t take it all to the head,” Grimes said. “You just gotta stay humble.”

Anderson thought of another way for Grimes to stay on the floor.

“I think if he wants to continue to play, he’ll do that (play hard),” Anderson said. “Bottom line, the bench is a great motivator.”