SEWARD, Neb. – The 21st annual Cattle Classic is set to tip off on Friday afternoon inside Walz Arena. The basketball classic features a total of four men’s games and three women’s games over the course of the two-day extravaganza. The event, co-sponsored by Concordia and Cattle Bank & Trust, raises money and food for the Blue Valley Community Action's Food Pantry. Pac N Save of Seward will match all canned food donations.
Fans are encouraged to bring canned goods in exchange for admission. Ten canned items will get an adult a weekend pass. Complete admission information for the Cattle Classic can be found HERE. Tickets will not be sold online for this particular event.
Fans must also be mindful of current COVID-19 protocols. Face coverings are required for admission into the event. For additional fan information, please visit: https://www.cune.edu/athletics/information-fans.
Live webcasts/stats: Concordia Sports Network
2020 CATTLE CLASSIC SCHEDULE
Thursday, Nov. 5
- Women: Concordia vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 6
- Men: Hastings College vs. Manhattan Christian College (Kan.), 4 p.m.
- Women: Carroll College (Mont.) vs. Dakota State University (S.D.), 6 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Emmaus Bible College (Iowa), 8 p.m.
Saturday, Nov. 7
- Men: Hastings College vs. Emmaus Bible College (Iowa), 12 p.m.
- Women: Concordia vs. Carroll College (Mont.), 2 p.m.
- Men: Concordia vs. Manhattan Christian College (Kan.), 4 p.m.
The Men’s Field
Concordia University
Head Coach: Ben Limback, 8th season
2020-21 Record: 1-1
2019-20 Record: 24-10
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Seward, Nebraska
Top Player: Junior guards Carter Kent and Justin Wiersema will be counted upon as top performers on both ends of the floor. Carter earned second team All-GPAC honors and Wiersema was chosen as honorable mention All-GPAC last season. Wiersema got out to a hot start by putting up 38 combined points (10-for-17 from 3-point range) last weekend. Kent enters the week with 783 career points.
Overview: The Bulldogs are following up on a GPAC tournament championship season and the program’s first national tournament berth in 15 years. Concordia is replacing three starters, but it’s confident in a talented backcourt that also includes senior point guard Sam Scarpelli. In the frontcourt, Klay Uher provided a spark in the win over Friends University (Kan.) by pouring in a career high 19 points. The Bulldogs were picked sixth in the GPAC preseason poll (finished fourth in the 2019-20 regular season). In terms of newcomers, freshman Cory Davila may end up making the largest impact. Davila combined for 19 points on 9-for-12 shooting at the Hastings Classic.
Emmaus Bible College
Head Coach: Kyle Graw, 1st season
2020-21 Record: 0-0
2019-20 Record: 2-19
Conference: Midwest Christian College Conference (NCCAA)
Location: Dubuque, Iowa
Top Player: 6-foot-1 senior forward Brandon Redding returns after averaging 30.0 points per game in 2019-20 when he was named a first team All-North Region selection. Redding (West Palm Beach, Fla.) enjoyed a 43-point outburst in setting a school single-game record last season.
Overview: The Eagles played mostly fellow National Christian College Athletic Association opponents last season while going 2-19 overall. Emmaus earned its wins last season over Association Free Lutheran Bible School and Moody Bible Institute. Kyle Graw enters his first season leading the program.
Hastings College
Head Coach: Bill Gavers, 8th season
2020-21 Record: 1-1
2019-20 Record: 16-16
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference
Location: Hastings, Nebraska
Top Player: Hastings said goodbye to star post player Bart Hiscock (career totals of 1,911 points and 893 rebounds) at the end of last season. The new star just might be Dakota County Technical College transfer Dashawn Walker, who put up a combined 51 points this past weekend at the Hastings Classic. Walker is a 6-foot-6 forward from Harker Heights, Texas. Sophomore guard Mason Hiemstra returns after averaging 11.2 points last season.
Overview: Led by Walker, the Broncos would like to believe they are set to break through for a season kind of like the Bulldogs put together in 2019-20. Head Coach Bill Gavers enters his eighth season leading his alma mater. Hastings has been picked ninth in the GPAC preseason poll. While hosting a weekend classic (Oct. 30-31), the Broncos defeated Friends University (Kan.), 119-89, prior to a 94-90 loss to Tabor College (Kan.). Hastings will take part in the Cattle Classic for the third-straight year.
Manhattan Christian College
Head Coach: Jordan Strom, 2nd season
2020-21 Record: 0-2
2019-20 Record: 19-11
Conference: Midwest Christian College Conference (NCCAA)
Location: Manhattan, Kansas
Top Player: A transfer from the University of Central Oklahoma, redshirt freshman Tanner Heiden opened the season with an 18-point, 11-rebound performance at Kansas Wesleyan University. Heiden is listed as a 6-foot-5 forward.
Overview: The Thunder reached the NCCAA national tournament before play was shut down in March of 2020. Manhattan Christian opened this season with road games against two NAIA foes. It lost by scores of 76-74 at Kansas Wesleyan University and 87-75 at McPherson College (Kan.). Head Coach Jordan Strom’s squad is also slated to play at Doane on Wednesday before making its way to Seward for the weekend. Based on the statistics, the Thunder played an up-tempo style last season having averaged 83.9 points per game in 2019-20.