Mizzou's Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill Reach Career Milestones

Not only did the Missouri Tigers notch a convincing 83-65 win over the Arkansas Razorbacks Saturday evening, a couple of their biggest contributors made a little history alongside it.

Guards Tamar Bates and Caleb Grill are the latest Tigers to place their names in the 1,000+ career points club, reaching 1,003 and 1,009 points respectively. Bates finished the game with 15 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field, while Grill added 17 points off the bench on 7-of-10 shooting.

Bates accomplished the feat in his fourth-year of eligibility, while Grill accomplished it in his sixth-year. Though, the graduate senior only played in nine games during the 2023-24 season, allowing him a medical hardship waiver for this season.

One player reaching that milestone is impressive enough in one game, but two? That doesn't happen often, if ever.

"It's definitely a great accomplishment," Bates said. "I don't think it's ever happened, two guys score 1,000 points on the same night. Somebody got to look into that."

While it's hard to verify whether it's occurred before or not, it's a rare feat nevertheless. They join guards Tony Perkins and Marques Warrick as the only two players on the Missouri roster to accomplish it, while forward Mark Mitchell is the next in line with 948 points.

Though Bates and Grill were considerably close to 1,000 points before the game, it wasn't too much of a focus for either player. The most important thing to them was a win — they weren't going to try and force offense to get to the desired number.

"It's definitely an excellent personal achievement, but that wasn't on my mind coming into the game," Bates said. "I just wanted to come out with a W."

Jan. 18 2024; Columbia, Missouri, USA; Missouri Tigers guard Tamar Bates against the Arkansas Razorbacks at Mizzou Arena. / Amber Winkler/Missouri Tigers On SI | Amber Winkler

Bates and Grill have been integral pieces for the Tigers' resurgence this year in the SEC, now reaching a staggering record of 15-3 and 4-1 since conference play began. Neither player started their collegiate career with Missouri, but they'll both finish it there.

Coach Dennis Gates took the time to express his gratitude for each of them, highlighting the development he's seen them each undergo since joining the program.

"Their development is not about basketball, their development and confidence throughout their development allows them to now look past maybe what their faults were before we got them," Gates said. "They're concentrating on the men that they will become, the leaders that they will become.

"They're my captains at the end of the day, and they were not paying attention to 1,000 points," Gates added. "Great accomplishment, don't get me wrong."

Despite not paying attention to it, the career milestones added a cherry on top of the win for Bates and Grill. They'll get some time to celebrate, but the focus will soon shift towards continuing its winning streak against the Texas Longhorns on Tuesday.