Phoenix Mercury signs guard Shay Murphy

The Phoenix Mercury signed 5-foot-11 guard Shay Murphy, a player who was a reserve on the Mercury’s 2014 championship squad.

“Shay is the kind of player you want on your team,” said Mercury General Manager Jim Pitman. “She brings hustle, energy and grit every night. She is the kind of person who her teammates and coaches want to be around, a great model for young players who exemplifies the way we want our team to play.”

From the team:

Murphy, who has seen stints with six WNBA teams over her career, was an important contributor on the Mercury’s 2014 championship team, averaging 3.9 points, 1.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists. A native of Los Angeles, Murphy owns career averages of 5.0 points and 2.5 rebounds in 199 games over eight seasons.

The USC product’s best WNBA season came with the Chicago Sky in 2012, playing in 29 games and averaging 8.5 points and 2.9 rebounds in 18.6 minutes of play. Murphy knocked down a career-best 45 three-pointers and ranked second in the league in three-point percentage (.441) that season. Originally the 15th overall pick (second round) of the 2007 WNBA Draft by the Minnesota Lynx, Murphy was a four-year standout at USC, where she finished in the top-10 in scoring in program history and as its all-time leader in three-pointers made.

Murphy currently plays in Turkey for Samsun Canik, where she averages a team-best 16.6 points to go along with 6.9 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 2.5 steals in Turkish League play. In EuroCup play, Murphy is averaging 16.9 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists in eight games, and is one of only two players (Ify Ibekwe) with at least those numbers.