Murphy is Fever energizer

But Murphy's reason for playing basketball grew dramatically more personal that same year. Her father, George Murphy, died in a traffic accident. Murphy threw herself into the game, body and soul. Basketball, she said this week, became “an outlet to help me stay focused and not have to think about it.”

Murphy's unrelenting approach to the game helped quell her emotions at the time, but it also became part of her inner circuitry. An all-around sports star in high school, she went on to be a standout basketball player at USC and was selected by Minnesota in the second round of the 2007 WNBA draft.

Now she's the Fever's energizer.

“Shay loves to play, always has loved to play,” said Fever forward Ebony Hoffman, who was Murphy's teammate at USC. “She's always had that energy about her. But it was sort of raw energy at first. Now it's an efficient, smart sort of energy.”

Murphy was signed by the Fever last season after being waived by the Washington Mystics. She re-signed with Indiana before the 2010 training camp after leading the Spanish League in scoring for the second consecutive season. She averaged 21.1 points and 7.1 rebounds per game in Spain this past season, with 20.3 and 7.1 marks the year before.

However, her playing time with Indiana's Eastern Conference champions was limited a year ago. And in the first two games this season, she scored a total of just nine points with seven rebounds.

Then, last weekend, things changed – with a fury. Murphy collected 20 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in an overtime victory at Chicago. One night later, she came off the bench again to lead Indiana with 16 points and nine rebounds in a home victory over the Sky that evened the Fever record at 2-2.

As the Fever prepares for Saturday's game at Tulsa, Indiana coaches and players alike are pointing to Murphy's work ethic, enthusiasm level and no-quit style as a major factor in the team's success. “She's the same every day; there is no letdown in her,” Indiana assistant coach Gary Kloppenburg said. “I think that's infectious with a team.

“And when she gets on the floor, she doesn't seem to tire. She's the kind of player who's going to be in on a lot of plays. She rebounds. She gets her hands on loose balls. She finds a variety of ways to score.”

Lin Dunn, Indiana's head coach, especially likes the way Murphy crashes the boards as a 5-11 perimeter player. Murphy views her rebounding numbers as “90 percent effort, 10 percent skill.”

“I never want a coach to tell me that they have to coach my effort,” Murphy said. “You'll never have to worry about me going all-out.”

Dunn said Murphy could find her way into the starting lineup if the opponent dictates the Fever go with a smaller, quicker group. Meantime, the 25-year-old is happy coming off the bench. She played 36 and 25 minutes in the games against Chicago.

When her basketball career ends, Murphy hopes to work in the entertainment industry, possibly as a producer or song writer. She has always loved music. As a teenager, she told people her career goal was to be a backup dancer for Janet Jackson.

When this season ends, Murphy wants a WNBA championship banner to be hanging in the rafters in Conseco Fieldhouse. And she hopes that folks will remember the 2010 season as one in which her improvement remained on the upswing.

“My thing is just being wanted by a team, having your team and coaching staff believe in you,” Murphy said. “As long as somebody believes in me and gives me a chance, that's all I could ask.”