Completed Event: Men's Basketball at UNLV on February 7, 2026 , Loss , 78, to, 80
M Basketball
at UNLV
L 78-80
Grand Canyon University Athletics
Photo by: Fullerton College Sports Information Office
Extra Miles: juco guard adds proven winner
6/23/2026 4:20:00 PM | Men's Basketball, Paul Coro, Lopes Insider Blog
GCU transfer addition bolsters backcourt after junior college title
Jaqari Miles is as accustomed to winning as having an orange, pebbled, inflated sphere in his hands.
For the past three seasons that Miles has played basketball, his high school and junior college teams went 91-8. So it's no surprise that Miles and a winning Grand Canyon program made a match this summer to add a versatile guard to the Lopes roster.
Miles, a 6-foot-2 Los Angeles native, joins GCU after a medical redshirt at Montana State and the past two seasons at Fullerton College, where he led the Hornets to the state's junior college championship in March. After a scoreless first half in the title game, Miles scored 25 second-half points in 13 minutes and propelled Fullerton to cutting down nets.
"Humbly, I would say that I'm a winner, and I win a lot," Miles said. "It's a pretty good résumé, I would say."
Miles connected to GCU on basketball and faith levels to join a roster whose work is underway at GCU Basketball Practice Facility this month. Upon visiting, Miles immediately felt the level of winning expectations from his soon-to-be coaches and teammates and made a quick commitment.
After averaging 14.6 points as a freshman with 45% shooting from the field and 41% on 3-pointers, Miles overcame an in-season knee bone bruise to finish his sophomore season with a 12.5 scoring average in 24.0 minutes per game while shooting 42% shooting from the field and 37% on 3s.
"We're excited about Jaqari," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He's been at Division I and won a junior college championship last year. He's been coached really well. He can really shoot the basketball and brings maturity to our team. We think he can play one through three (point guard or wings), which make us like his versatility to play different positions."
Miles began his four-year varsity prep career at Crespi Carmelite in Los Angeles before moving to West Ranch, north of the city, and competing against GCU guard Makaih Wiliams on the AAU circuit. As a senior, Miles drew D-I interest when he averaged 16.5 points for a team that cracked the national top 25.
After the redshirt season with Montana State's NCAA Tournament qualifier, his explosive scoring ability showed immediately at Fullerton with a career-high 34-point game as a freshman and a season-high 28-point, 19-minute game this year.
"I'll do whatever's needed," Miles said. "I'm giving buckets, for sure. I can shoot the ball. I can pass the ball. I can dribble. I can do a little bit of everything. People say I play like Jalen Brunson."
It was more of a circuitous route than Miles envisioned, but he wound up in a "no-brainer" situation for a program that had already made him a Lopes fan growing up.
"Everybody in the country knows GCU, especially for the environment," Miles said. "GCU has one of the best environments in the country.
"God puts people through different obstacles. Everybody's route is different. That just happens to be my route, but I would never complain because that built me into who I am today. That built my character on the court, and I'm always thankful for that. Coach (Perry) Webster at Fullerton College definitely helped me a lot, and everybody on the staff helped me mature, helped my body and just helped me in general. I would never take that for granted."
His sophomore season's Fullerton team won its last 28 games to finish 32-1 and capture the championship of 3C2A (California Community College Athletic Association). Miles signed in November with California Baptist but was released from the commitment after the Lancers' coaching change.
"I was always in the gym with one of the coaches at Fullerton, and they would always push me to get better," Miles said. "There are not a lot of coaches who care about how you are off the court, and they did. Having a staff like that is very important, and that's also the type of energy I felt from the staff at GCU with how close the staff is and how they care about how their players off the court.
"We have some very special, talented guys on our team. The expectations are very high. I plan to fulfill all the expectations, and I know my teammates do after speaking with them. They're all on the same page. They all want to go dancing. They all want to win conference. The unity already there is very important."
For the past three seasons that Miles has played basketball, his high school and junior college teams went 91-8. So it's no surprise that Miles and a winning Grand Canyon program made a match this summer to add a versatile guard to the Lopes roster.
Miles, a 6-foot-2 Los Angeles native, joins GCU after a medical redshirt at Montana State and the past two seasons at Fullerton College, where he led the Hornets to the state's junior college championship in March. After a scoreless first half in the title game, Miles scored 25 second-half points in 13 minutes and propelled Fullerton to cutting down nets.
"Humbly, I would say that I'm a winner, and I win a lot," Miles said. "It's a pretty good résumé, I would say."
Miles connected to GCU on basketball and faith levels to join a roster whose work is underway at GCU Basketball Practice Facility this month. Upon visiting, Miles immediately felt the level of winning expectations from his soon-to-be coaches and teammates and made a quick commitment.
After averaging 14.6 points as a freshman with 45% shooting from the field and 41% on 3-pointers, Miles overcame an in-season knee bone bruise to finish his sophomore season with a 12.5 scoring average in 24.0 minutes per game while shooting 42% shooting from the field and 37% on 3s.
"We're excited about Jaqari," GCU head coach Bryce Drew said. "He's been at Division I and won a junior college championship last year. He's been coached really well. He can really shoot the basketball and brings maturity to our team. We think he can play one through three (point guard or wings), which make us like his versatility to play different positions."
Miles began his four-year varsity prep career at Crespi Carmelite in Los Angeles before moving to West Ranch, north of the city, and competing against GCU guard Makaih Wiliams on the AAU circuit. As a senior, Miles drew D-I interest when he averaged 16.5 points for a team that cracked the national top 25.
After the redshirt season with Montana State's NCAA Tournament qualifier, his explosive scoring ability showed immediately at Fullerton with a career-high 34-point game as a freshman and a season-high 28-point, 19-minute game this year.
"I'll do whatever's needed," Miles said. "I'm giving buckets, for sure. I can shoot the ball. I can pass the ball. I can dribble. I can do a little bit of everything. People say I play like Jalen Brunson."
It was more of a circuitous route than Miles envisioned, but he wound up in a "no-brainer" situation for a program that had already made him a Lopes fan growing up.
"Everybody in the country knows GCU, especially for the environment," Miles said. "GCU has one of the best environments in the country.
"God puts people through different obstacles. Everybody's route is different. That just happens to be my route, but I would never complain because that built me into who I am today. That built my character on the court, and I'm always thankful for that. Coach (Perry) Webster at Fullerton College definitely helped me a lot, and everybody on the staff helped me mature, helped my body and just helped me in general. I would never take that for granted."
His sophomore season's Fullerton team won its last 28 games to finish 32-1 and capture the championship of 3C2A (California Community College Athletic Association). Miles signed in November with California Baptist but was released from the commitment after the Lancers' coaching change.
"I was always in the gym with one of the coaches at Fullerton, and they would always push me to get better," Miles said. "There are not a lot of coaches who care about how you are off the court, and they did. Having a staff like that is very important, and that's also the type of energy I felt from the staff at GCU with how close the staff is and how they care about how their players off the court.
"We have some very special, talented guys on our team. The expectations are very high. I plan to fulfill all the expectations, and I know my teammates do after speaking with them. They're all on the same page. They all want to go dancing. They all want to win conference. The unity already there is very important."
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