Buena Vista University

Elijah Gurash begins his first season as the top assistant for the Buena Vista men's basketball team in 2024-25.

Prior to arriving to BVU, Gurash spent six seasons as an assistant coach at Division III Whitworth College in Spokane, Wash. He was elevated as the program’s top assistant coach in 2022. During that six-year tenure, the Pirates went 116-41 overall, including a 71-19 record within the Northwest Conference, and captured three conference championships (2020, 2022, 2024), three conference tournament championships (2022, 2023, 2024) and made four NCAA Tournament appearances (2020, 2022, 2023, 2024).
 
Prior to joining Whitworth, Elijah spent seven seasons as an assistant high school coach and another eight seasons as a head varsity boys basketball coach in North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington.
 
Gurash, who was an all-state basketball player, began his collegiate playing career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He put his name in the program’s record book for his lofty three-point shooting at 41 percent. He later went on to finish his career at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Ore.
 
Elijah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bushnell University and a Master of Science degree from The University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK). He has also published his own book, entitled, “Jesus is a Baller: Reflections on the Fundamentals of Basketball.”
 
Gurash, and his wife, Katy, have three children: Xander, Oliver and Isla Grace.