Pirate Preview: AJ Staton-McCray

Published: Friday, October 10, 2025

by Jacob Marcial

In an offseason filled with splashes in the transfer portal made by Seton Hall, AJ Staton-McCray brings the veteran leadership, experience, and intensity needed for a bounce-back season with the Pirates.

The 6’4 guard from Delray Beach, Florida, is entering his sixth collegiate season as a redshirt senior. He describes himself as a hard worker and a defensive-minded player, fitting in perfectly with the culture that coach Shaheen Holloway has built over the last few seasons.

A three-star recruit out of West Oaks Academy in Orlando, Florida, Staton-McCray first made a name for himself at Samford University in Alabama, where he spent his first four collegiate seasons. He was a staple of the Bulldogs team during his time there, including his senior year where he started 27 of the team’s 35 games, averaging 11.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game.

Samford made it to the NCAA Tournament that season, losing in the Round of 64 to Kansas. Towards the end of the game, Staton-McCray was called for a foul after appearing to cleanly block the dunk attempt of Kansas guard Nick Timberlake that would have kept it at a 1-point game, ultimately ending Samford’s season. Staton-McCray scored seven points, three rebounds, and four assists in the contest, along with a block and a steal.

Staton-McCray entered the transfer portal after his senior season at Samford, making the leap to a power conference school by committing to Miami. In one season at Miami, he started in 17 of the team’s 31 games with slightly lower averages of 7.3 points and 2.4 rebounds per game. 

However, he logged 33 steals on the season and a career-high of 18 blocks, including four in a game against Duke. He also scored double-digit points eight times during the season, with two 20-point games.

Staton-McCray also provides efficiency on the offensive side of the floor, especially in areas where the Pirates have struggled. In his last two seasons, Staton-McCray has averaged 36.6% shooting behind the three point line, on top of 42.6% from the field. He also averages 79% from the free throw line in his career, including 83.3% in his last two seasons. 

Seton Hall shot 31.2% from three and 66.3% on free throws in 2024-25, both of which were among the worst in the nation. Staton-McCray looks to help improve those numbers over the course of this season, hopefully leading to an improved offense overall which only averaged 61.6 points per game a season ago.

With multiple years of experience under his belt, Staton-McCray will look to be one of the many transfers that contributes to this Pirates team in 2025, with production on both ends of the floor that fit the mentality and identity of Seton Hall basketball. Staton-McCray and the Pirates open the season at home against St. Peter’s on November 3rd.

Jacob Marcial can be reached at jacob.marcial@student.shu.edu.

Posted in: sports,