Kelly Bird, Linfield Sports Communications

Young Wildcats ready to take on new roles, men's basketball ready for 2026-27 season

By Chase Fisk, Director of Athletic Communications

11/10

Linfield men's basketball enters the 2026-27 season looking to build on a promising first year under head coach Elijah Gurash. After recording its best Northwest Conference finish in three seasons, the Wildcats return a strong frontcourt presence in All-NWC forward Garrett Callsen, along with several young contributors who gained valuable experience during the 2025-26 campaign. With five seniors departing, Linfield will look to its returning core and incoming talent to continue climbing the Northwest Conference standings.

We have a great group of young guys who are hungry and ready to take on some new roles this season.

Head Coach Elijah Gurash

Linfield finished the 2025-26 season with a 10-14 overall record and an 8-8 mark in Northwest Conference play, placing fifth in the conference standings after consecutive eighth-place finishes the previous two seasons. The Wildcats closed the season with consecutive victories over Lewis & Clark and George Fox, including a 94-70 win over the Bruins in the season finale. Linfield averaged 65.2 points per game and shot 42.9 percent from beyond the arc. Senior Dayton Magaña led the Wildcats in scoring with 13.2 points per game, making a team-high 63 three-pointers while adding 67 assists and 30 steals. Junior Garrett Callsen followed with 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, shooting a conference-leading 59.5 percent from the field. Freshman Nalu Vargas emerged as another major contributor, averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per contest, while senior Chase Bennett led the team with 96 assists. Magaña capped his two-year Linfield career with Third Team All-NWC recognition, while Bennett concluded his senior season averaging 8.5 points and a team-leading 4.0 assists per game. Morrill contributed 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds per contest, and Johnson appeared in all 24 games. Callsen earned Second Team All-NWC honors, giving Linfield two all-conference selections in Gurash's first season.

2025-26 Season Results/Schedule

2026-27 Roster

Senior forward Garrett Callsen returns as Linfield's leading scorer from last season after earning Second Team All-Northwest Conference recognition during a breakout junior campaign. The Stayton, Oregon native appeared in all 24 games, making 23 starts while averaging 12.7 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest. Callsen was one of the most efficient offensive players in the conference, converting a league-leading 59.5 percent of his field goal attempts.

The Business Management major scored a career-high 25 points against Lewis & Clark and earned the conference's final Athlete of the Week award following the regular season. His performance helped Linfield finish fifth in the NWC standings, marking its highest conference placement since 2021-22.

Senior Forward #55 Garrett Callsen

Sophomore Guard #5 Nalu Vargas

Sophomore guard Nalu Vargas returns following an impressive freshman season that established him as one of Linfield's most productive all-around players. The Spokane, Washington native appeared in all 24 games, making 23 starts while averaging 9.4 points and a team-high 6.8 rebounds per contest. Vargas finished third on the team with 225 points and led the Wildcats with 162 rebounds.

Vargas also made 43 threes, the second-highest total on the team behind Magaña. He contributed 45 assists, 17 steals and seven blocked shots while averaging nearly 30 minutes per game, the third-highest total on the roster.

Sophomore guard Kohsuke Fujiwara returns after making an immediate impact during his first collegiate season. The Adachi-ku, Japan native appeared in all 24 games, making 22 starts while averaging 6.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per contest. Fujiwara finished the season averaging 28.4 minutes per game.

The 6-foot-3 guard provided Linfield with another reliable perimeter option, connecting on 22 three-pointers while shooting 36.7 percent from beyond the arc. He also shot 44.4 percent overall and 75 percent from the free-throw line, demonstrating offensive efficiency during his freshman campaign.

Sophomore Guard #21 Kohsuke Fujiwara

Linfield enters the 2026-27 season with an opportunity to develop additional young talent following the graduation of five seniors. The Wildcats' returning underclassmen include several players who arrived in 2025-26 and gained experience during Gurash's first season. Peyton Reyes of Beaverton, Oregon, appeared in 18 games as a freshman, while Jackson Bluhm of Corvallis, Oregon, Rico George of Vancouver, Washington, and Cameron Cox of St. Helens, Oregon, also made their collegiate debuts. Junior Gavin Perdue looks to potentially take on a larger role this season, sinking 28 threes over 21 games played in his sophomore campaign, averaging 18 minutes per contest.

Junior West Linn, Oregon, native Max Juhala's return is highly anticipated for Gurash's squad, having started 16 of 22 games as a freshman, where he averaged 7.5 points and three rebounds per game. Juhala missed the entirety of his sophomore season due to injury, factoring in to be a frequent starter yet again for the Wildcats.

Men's basketball begins the season at home Tuesday evening, hosting NAIA Corban at 6 p.m. inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium. The Wildcats then hit the road to Walla Walla, Washington, to take on Walla Walla University and California Prestige before heading to Southern California for a SCIAC swing. Gurash's first Division III tests come on the road at Occidental, La Verne, and Caltech prior to Thanksgiving.

The next time the ‘Cats are home is set for Monday, November 30, hosting Evergreen State at 5 p.m. The team heads to Eastern Washington for back-to-back NWC games against Whitman and Whitworth before taking on Warner Pacific and Northwest to close out the non-conference half of the schedule. The December 12 matchup against Northwest is also where Linfield will honor the 25th anniversary of the men’s basketball Northwest Conference Championship-winning team, welcoming them back to Ted Wilson Gymnasium.

Besides the Northwest Conference-opening weekend at the Whit's, men's hoops hosts Lewis & Clark on January 8 for their conference opener. Seven of nine conference games coming out of non-conference are at home for the month of January. Alternatively, four of the final five games in February are on the road, where the 'Cats will look to earn critical road wins for the NWC standings.

Linfield will honor senior Garrett Callsen on Senior Day on February 20 against Pacific at 3 p.m. inside Ted Wilson Gymnasium.