The Miami basketball program continued the transformation of its roster with the addition of Samford transfer A.J. A.J. Staton-McCray on Thursday. Stanton became an excellent shooter as a redshirt junior in 2023-24 "whose toughness and defensive ability will fit in very well" with Miami per head coach Jim Larranaga.
A.J. Staton-McCray averaged 11.5 points per game, 4.5 rebounds, shot 44.2 percent from the floor, 41.3 percent on three-point attempts and 83.5 percent on free throws as Samford advanced to the NCAA Tournament. The Bulldogs lost 93-89 to Kansas in the first round.
Staton-McCray was named to the Southern Conference All-Freshman team in 2021 and was third-team All-Conference in 2024. Staton-McCray played in 84 games with 52 starts in four seasons at Samford. After missing all but three games during the 2021-22 season, McCray-Staton received a medical redshirt.
McCray-Staton joins a Miami backcourt that returns Paul Djobet and Nijel Pack, added Stetson transfer Jalen Blackmon and signed 2024 blue-chip prospects Jalil Bethea and Austin Swartz. Miami should have a much deeper backcourt in 2023-24 than during the 2023-24 season.
Staton-McCray will compete with Bethea and Blackmon to be starters and for playing time in 2024-25. Pack is the most likely starting guard for Miami in 2024-25 as he hopes to recover from an injured-filled 2023-24 season. Miami has a lot of offensive firepower in its 2024-25 backcourt.
Staton-McCray is the sixth transfer added to the 2024-25 Miami roster. In addition to Blackmon and Staton-McCray, Miami previously added center Lynn Kidd, forwards Yussif Basa-Ama, Kiree Huie and Brandon Johnson. Jim Larranaga and his staff have almost completely remade the Miami roster this spring.
The Miami starting lineup projects as Blackmon and Pack in the backcourt with Cleveland, Johnson and Kidd upfront. Bethea is the most talented player on the Miami roster and will push Blackmon for starter's minutes. Staton-McCray could be the third guard off the bench at the beginning of the season a Bethea becomes accustomed to college.