Elijah Gurash has been hired to take over leadership of the Linfield University men’s basketball program, director of athletics Scott Brosius announced.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Elijah Gurash as our new men’s basketball coach,” said Brosius. “His passion, experience, and commitment to excellence align perfectly with our vision for the program moving forward. He is the perfect leader and person to inspire our players to reach new heights on and off the court.”

The 2025-26 basketball season will be Gurash’s first as a college head coach. He comes to Linfield after serving one year as the lead assistant coach at Buena Vista University, a Division III institution in Storm Lake, Iowa. He takes over for Levi Sieg, who led the program for two seasons.

No stranger to the Pacific Northwest, Gurash served as a top assistant at Whitworth University for six seasons. During his time in Spokane, the Pirates went a combined 116-41, captured three Northwest Conference championships, three NWC Tournament titles and reached the NCAA Division III Tournament four times.

“My heart jumped a bit when I saw the opening for a coach at Linfield,” said Gurash. “I was instantly excited about the opportunity to be a head coach in the Northwest. Linfield is especially appealing because I’m so familiar with cities in the Northwest. My wife and I love the size of McMinnville and the Linfield campus. And honestly, you can feel a sense of excitement in the athletic department.”

Prior to joining the Whitworth staff, Gurash spent a combined 15 years coaching at the high school level in North Carolina, West Virginia and Washington state, first as an assistant boys basketball coach for seven seasons and later as a head varsity coach for eight seasons.

An all-state basketball player in his home state of West Virginia, Gurash began his collegiate playing career at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, New York. He concluded his playing career at Northwest Christian University (now Bushnell University) in Eugene.

Once he gets settled into his new position at Linfield, Gurash said his first priority will be “to establish a great culture that players want to be a part of and who want to be cared for in every aspect of their lives. Secondly, we want to find great kids from great families who are gym rats and want to be part of something greater than themselves.”

Gurash earned a bachelor’s degree from Bushnell in 2001 and went on to complete a master’s degree at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland in 2007. He has also published his own book, entitled, “Jesus is a Baller: Reflections on the Fundamentals of Basketball.”

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