Making teammates look good on the floor is what Christian Rodriguez is all about.
"I am a pass-first point guard at heart," Rodriguez said. "I always look to get my teammates involved no matter what."
The Cornerstone University senior point guard broke the school's all-time assist record two weeks ago that had stood for 32 years. Rodriguez set a goal to break the record when he first got to CU.
"It was something that I set out and I achieved it," Rodriguez added. "I wouldn't be able to get it without the teammates I've played with. I have been blessed to play with some great players here over the years and I played with some great shooters that always helped me put the ball in the hole so that was big for me just being around guys that could score the ball and it made my job easier when I could pass it to somebody and they could make a shot."
"He just has such a great feel for the game," 29th-year Golden Eagles head coach Kim Elders said. "He knows how to play the game. He knows our system. We want our point guard catching the ball on the run and pushing it down the floor, he does a great job of that. He's just got such a huge basketball IQ and he just sees the floor so well."
Rodriguez is currently at 590 career assists with plenty of games left to play, he's also the team's leading scorer averaging just under 22 points per game this season. He has combined natural ability with a tireless work ethic.
"All the time I am in gym. As soon as I wake up, seven o'clock, eight o'clock and I am in here until the lights are turned off, spend so many hours in the gym" Rodriguez said. "I fell in love with the process of basketball and I just want to give it my all."
This is his fifth year playing at Cornerstone, but because of last year's shortened season Rodriguez has still not reached the number of games he would have played in a normal four-year career.
His goal is to play basketball professionally overseas after he wraps up his final year with the Golden Eagles, but he still has plenty he wants to accomplish this season first.
"I've just evolved as a player and I continue to trust the work that I put in every single day," Rodriguez said. "This year my role is to score and to get assists to my teammates so I am just playing to the best capability I can."
