GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The Golden Eagles continue the home stand to start the year as they host the Cornerstone Classic that will invite Graceland, (12) Morningside, and (RV) Olivet Nazarene to Mol Arena. Cornerstone will open with Graceland on Friday, November 5 at 8 p.m. and the losers of the two games will play at 1 p.m. November 6 with the winners to follow at 3 p.m. To order tickets for the event visit HERE. To watch online you can find live video and stat links HERE.
 

Last Week Recap

The Golden Eagles got off to an outstanding start, winning all three of their first games at home inside Mol Arena, including a 99-91 win vs. (9) Indiana Wesleyan for their first win vs. an NAIA Top 10 Team since defeating the top seed Spring Arbor in October of 2019. 

Cornerstone Classic Outlook

The Cornerstone Classic in 2021 will look a little different than previous years as it will be a true tournament this season. Head Coach Kim Elders was able to bring in three teams that they do not normally see in Graceland, (RV) Olivet Nazarene, (12) Morningside. CU will open the tournament vs. Graceland out of Iowa. Whoever wins that contest will play at 3 p.m. on Saturday against the winner of Olivet Nazarene and Morningside while the losers of the two games will meet at 1 p.m. 

Crod's Strong Start

Redshirt senior point guard Christian Rodriguez could not have gotten off to a stronger start as he is averaging 23.3 PPG, 5.0 RPG, 6.6 APG. He leads the team in points and assists, and is second on the team in rebounds. In the win over (9) Indiana Wesleyan, Rodriguez nearly recorded his first collegiate triple double with 32 points, 10 assists, and seven rebounds. Rodriguez has 20 total assists this year which puts him at 545 for his career, just 32 away from taking over the all-time CU program lead held by Scott O'Day (1985-89). 

Injury Bug

Cornerstone has already seen a case of the injury bug through three games as they have already been forced to start eight different players this season. CU has yet to see Eli Steffen, Cory Ainsworth, Zach Velthouse, and EJ Bowman have yet take the court as they began the year with injuries. Jack Joldersma, Drew Knickerbocker, and Connor Dykema have all played, but have suffered in season injuries that have forced them to miss some time already. 

History vs. Cornerstone Classic Opponents

The Cornerstone Classic brings three opponents that CU has little history against. The Golden Eagles have never met Graceland and will play them for the first time in program history on Friday night. CU has only seen Morningside twice in 2019 and 2006 and lost both those games. Olivet Nazarene is the team CU has the richest history with, but the two sides have not met since 2005. 

Scouting Graceland

Graceland is coached by former UM-Dearborn Head Coach Taylor Langley who is in his first season with GC. He and his team earned their first win of 2021-22 against Harris-Stowe State University last time out and they are 1-2 on the year. So far this year the team is led by balanced scoring as Seth Compas, Carson Newsome, Zachary Lattimer, and CJ Wilson all average 11.7 points or better through three games.