Elijah Gurash was elevated to the top assistant coach for Whitworth men's basketball in the spring of 2022. He joined the Pirate coaching staff in the Fall of 2018, and is now in his sixth year with the program.
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. In addition, he spent one season coaching the Pentland Tigers U18 team in Edinburgh, Scotland.
Elijah Gurash was an all-state high school basketball player, going on to play at the United States Military Academy at West Point (he maintained a place in the Army record books for over a decade for his single season three-point shooting percentage of 41%), and finishing his career at Northwest Christian University in Eugene, Oregon.
Elijah holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Bushnell University and a Master of Science degree from The University of Edinburgh (Scotland, UK), as well as his teaching certification and over 20 years of experience in education. In addition, Elijah published his first book, "Jesus is a Baller: Reflections on the Fundamentals of Basketball." He lives in Spokane with his wife, Katy, and their 3 children, Xander, Oliver and Isla Grace.
Head Coach Damion Jablonski says:
"Coach Gurash is most certainly fulfilling a calling by being a part of our program. He may have experience as a 6-6 D1 point guard, but he’s found his voice in our program as a champion of defense and rebounding. More importantly, he’s been a friend and spiritual mentor to our players and staff alike. I’m so grateful that Elijah is here to pour into our student-athletes' lives."
