SAN FRANCISCO – Damari Milstead, a transfer from Grand Canyon University, signed a financial aid agreement to attend the University of San Francisco. He will join the Dons next season and will be eligible to play in 2020-21.
 
The 6-2, 190-pound guard, is a native of Oakland, Calif., where he attended Moreau Catholic High School. The two-time letter winner for the Lopes played in 34 games last season, starting 26. He finished the season with 351 points, fourth on the team, and averaged 10.3 points per game while shooting 40.3 percent from the field.  
 
"We are really excited to have Damari join our program here at USF," said first-year USF head coach Todd Golden. "He is a proven winner and leader, having both team and individual success everywhere he's been. He has a great feel for the game, comfortable playing in transition and in the half-court, and is a tenacious on-ball defender. He will fit in seamlessly with our team."
 
In two seasons with Grand Canyon, the Lopes went 42-26 making back-to-back appearances in the College Basketball Invitational. After starting the season as a reserve, Milstead moved into the starting rotation on Dec. 9 against Nevada, scoring 11 points while dishing out four assists. He remained in the starting rotation the remainder of the season. He led GCU in assists per game (3.6) and steals per game (1.4) and ranked fourth in the WAC in assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
As a true freshman in 2017-18, he played in 26 games, averaging 9.4 minutes per contest and 4.5 points per game.  He led GCU with a 52.6 3-point field goal percentage (minimum 10 attempts) going 10-for-19 from beyond the arc.
 
The Oakland, Calif., native was a four year starter for Moreau Catholic who led the Mariners to a 100-29 mark in his career, becoming the winningest player in school history. Named The San Francisco Chronicle's 2016-17 Boys Metro Player of the Year, he was a three-star recruit who was one of the top-25 players in the state of California. 
 
He finished his career with 2,353 points, averaging 19.4 points per game. He led the Mariners in scoring in his junior and senior seasons – scoring 40 or more three times. He led his team to three North Coast Section titles in his four seasons.
 
Per the NCAA's transfer rules, Milstead will sit out the 2019-20 season and will be eligible to player as junior with two years remaining in 2020-21.