BVU hires Gurash as new men’s assistant basketball coach

Buena Vista University head men’s basketball coach Trevor Johnson has announced the hiring of Elijah Gurash as his top assistant coach for the program. Gurash replaces Zack Jadzak, who was named an assistant coach at Illinois College earlier this summer.

Gurash has spent the past 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 in 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, Gurash 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.

“I could not be more excited to add Elijah to our coaching staff,” Johnson said. “It is always the goal to bring in elite level coaches, and I’m extremely fortunate to have Elijah joining our program after a highly successful run at Whitworth. Elijah brings a level of experience and passion that are going to help our program take another big step forward both on and off the court. I look forward to working with him and continuing to build up our program. Elijah and his family will be great additions to not only our family at Buena Vista, but to the whole Storm Lake community.”

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 3-point shooting at 41 percent. He later went on to finish his career at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Ore.

Gurash 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.