BREAKING: Samford Transfer Guard A.J. Staton-McCray signs with Miami

A splash move has been made to give the Hurricanes another defensive weapon.

Mar 21, 2024; Salt Lake City, UT, USA; Samford Bulldogs guard A.J. Staton-McCray (5) shoots against Kansas Jayhawks guard Johnny Furphy (10) during the second half in the first round of the 2024 NCAA Tournament at Vivint Smart Home Arena-Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports / Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

Head coach Jim Larrañaga has worked to reload this roster after a disappointing season from the Hurricanes.

For those who might not be familiar with the name A.J. Stanton-McCray, he was involved in a controversial call during the NCAA Tournament. In Samford’s 1st round game against Kansas, he made what appeared to be a clean blocked shot but the referee called a foul, which aided Kansas into victory.

Staton-McCray is a 6-inch 5-feet, 195-pound junior guard who played 62 games over the last two seasons at Samford. Those numbers seem short for a junior, but he dealt with an injury that sidelined him for the rest of his sophomore year after playing three games. This past season was a chance for him to get back into form, and that is exactly what he did.

He played in 31 games while earning the starting 11 times averaging 22 minutes a game. He averaged 8.2 points and 4.1 rebounds per game while shooting 45 percent from the floor and 77 percent from the free-throw line. His season high during his junior campaign was 18 but he is more impactful as a defensive guard. He averages 1.8 steals a game during conference play and in a guard-heavy ACC, that will come in handy.