With the conclusion of the decade imminent, CU Athletics will be posting a series of articles on cugoldeneagles.com and posts on social media highlighting the major storylines, successes, and reviews of the past ten years in Cornerstone Athletics. 
December 26 – New Sports
December 27 – Facility Upgrades
December 28 – First Team All-Americans/Professional Athletes

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – In the fall of 2018, head men's basketball coach Kim Elders was announced as a 2018 inductee to the NAIA Hall of Fame. Elders was officially introduced to the Hall of Fame during the 2019 NAIA DII National Tournament in Sioux Falls, S.D., making him the first NAIA Hall of Famer in Cornerstone history. The 27th-year Cornerstone head coach added to his already impressive resume in October 2019 when he was nominated to the Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan (BCAM) Hall of Fame.
 


Entering the 2019-20 season, Elders began his 27th season with an impressive career record of 678-242 and a winning percentage of .737 as the head coach of the Golden Eagles.
 
Few programs in the NAIA have seen the levels of success and consistency that Elders has brought to Cornerstone in his tenure. Under Elders' direction, Cornerstone has advanced to the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship 17 times, including earning three National Championship red banners (1999, 2011, 2015), while amassing an NAIA-leading 40 wins in the National Championship.

The Golden Eagles finished as the NAIA Division II National Runner-Up in 2017, while also compiling four total appearances in the Fab Four (2001, 2002, 2003, 2017). They have also advanced to the National Quarterfinals four times (2005, 2007, 2010, 2018), won 10 Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference tournament titles and 11 WHAC regular-season conference championships with Elders at the helm.
 
Elders has been named the Conference Coach of the Year eight times, including earning NAIA/NABC National Coach of the Year honors three times (1999, 2011, 2015).
 
Under Elders, the Golden Eagles have boasted eight WHAC Players of the Year and one NAIA National Player of the Year. Cornerstone has a total of 32 All-American selections since 1999, including nine first-team honorees.

By the Numbers
Team Accomplishments

• Three NAIA DII National Championships ('99, '11, '15)
• One NAIA DII National Runner-up ('17)
• Eleven WHAC Regular Season Championships ('96, '99, '05, '07, '10, '11, '14, '15, '17, '18, '19)
• Ten WHAC Tournament Championships ('99, '01, '02, '04, '06, '10, '11, '14, '15, '17)
• 14 Straight WHAC Tournament title game appearances from 1999-2011
• Four NAIA DII Fab Four Appearances
• Five NAIA DII Elite Eight Appearances
• 40 NAIA DII National Tournament victories (1st all-time after 2017-18 season)
• Led '98-'99 team to undefeated WHAC record (only team in WHAC history to do so)
• Recorded WHAC record 20 regular season wins in 2013-14 and 2016-17

Individual Honors

• Three-time NAIA/NABC National Coach of the Year ('99, '15, '17)
• 1999 NABC and BCAM Coach of the Year
• 1996 NCCAA National Coach of the Year
• Eight-time WHAC Coach of the Year ('96, '99,  '05, '10, '11, '14, '17, '18)
• BCAM Hall of Fame
• NAIA Hall of Fame