Troy Murphy

infobox NBA Player

---

name = Troy Murphy
number = 3
position = Center
height_ft = 6 | height_in = 11
weight_lbs = 245
league = NBA
team = Indiana Pacers
nationality = USA
birth_date = birth date and age|1980|5|2
birth_place = Morristown, New Jersey
highschool = Delbarton School
college = Notre Dame
draft = 14th overall
draft_year = 2001
draft_team = Golden State Warriors
career_start = 2001
career_end =
former_teams = Golden State Warriors (2001-07)
awards =

Troy Brandon Murphy (born May 2 1980, in Morristown, New Jersey) is an American professional basketball player, currently playing center for the NBA's Indiana Pacers. Murphy grew up in Sparta located in north west New Jersey. He attended the Delbarton School for four years before moving on to the University of Notre Dame, where he was a two-time consensus All-American before declaring himself for the 2001 NBA Draft.

High school

Murphy was a three-time all-county and two-time All-State performer for the Delbarton School in Morristown and coach Dan Whalen. [Noie, Tom. [http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FCJ/is_3_28/ai_68362620 "Notre Dame's Dynamic Duo - Troy Murphy and Ruth Riley expected to boost both the men's and women's basketball teams at Notre Dame"] , "Basketball Digest", January 2001. Accessed May 29, 2007. "Such push stems from Murphy's high school days at the exclusive Delbarton School in Morristown, N.J."] His breakout year was as a sophomore when he averaged 20.5 points per game and 11.8 rebounds, earning first team all-county honors. He followed up his sophomore year with a successful junior campaign, averaging 23.5 points and 10.5 rebounds and All-State honors. His senior year would be his most successful season as he led Delbarton to a 20-6 record and the state quarterfinals. For the season he averaged 33.0 points per game (on 56.8 percent shooting), to lead the state in scoring along with 14.8 rebounds and 3.2 blocks per game. At the end of the season he was named Morris County Player of the Year by the "Newark Star-Ledger" and the most valuable player for his team at the prestigious Capital Classic in Washington, D.C.

College career

Murphy played college basketball at the University of Notre Dame.

Murphy led the Irish in scoring and rebounding in each of his three seasons, averaging 21.8 points and 9.2 rebounds during the 2000-01 campaign. A consensus first-team All-American as a junior and sophomore, he is one of 10 Irish players to earn consensus All-America honors (which includes six players named on more than one occasion).

Murphy shared Big East Conference Player of the Year honors with Troy Bell of Boston College in 2001 and joined an elite group of four players -- Chris Mullin (St. John's University), Patrick Ewing (Georgetown University) and Richard Hamilton (University of Connecticut) -- as the only two-time winners of the award. He was named to the John R. Wooden Award All-America Team for the second consecutive year, finished fifth in the balloting for the Wooden Award and was among the top three finalists for the Naismith player-of-the-year honor. A first-team all-BIG EAST selection for two seasons, Murphy also was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 1999.

He became just the fifth player in Notre Dame history to score more than 2,000 career points and finished his career fifth on the all-time scoring list with 2,011 points. Murphy is the only player to score more than 2,000 points and grab more than 900 rebounds (924) in 94 career games. He left Notre Dame with career averages of 21.4 points and 9.8 rebounds. Murphy was a starter in 93 games during his career and scored in double figures in 92 of those 94 contests.

In addition to finishing fifth on the all-time career scoring list, upon his departure fro the University, he ranked second in blocked shots (126), free throws made (587) and free throws attempted (755), sixth in rebounding and field goals made (680) and ninth in field goals attempted (1,370). [http://und.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/042001aaa.html] Troy Murphy routinely baffled opposing players with a unique combination of dominating inside moves and a smooth lefty jump shot from three point range.

Professional career

Murphy was selected 14th overall in the 2001 NBA Draft by the Golden State Warriors. After starting slowly, he showed promise toward the end of the season. He realized this promise in his second pro season, averaging a double-double - 11.7 pts and 10.2 boards - and finishing second in Most Improved Player voting. He also started the Rookie Challenge as the Sophomores' power forward. However, his three-point shooting that was a huge part of his college success was nearly absent, as he only attempted 14 three-pointers during the year, making five. He spent the next offseason working extensively on his outside shooting; however, he never got much of a chance to test out his new jumper in 2003-04 after a series of injuries limited him to 28 games, with no starts. However, he did attempt 17 threes in those games. With that part of his arsenal seemingly ready to go, Murphy spent the following offseason working on strength and conditioning as he looked to be a more well-rounded and complete player. While he had one injury scare the next season, he played in 70 games, and rediscovered his three-point shot, attempting nearly three per game. He averaged 15.4 points and 10.8 rebounds and finished 22nd in Western Conference All-Star voting that year. His numbers dropped off slightly in 2005-06 to 14 and 10 per game. Beside the NBA, he funds an AAU team in New Jersey where Murphy grew up called the Jersey Shore Warriors coached by Tony Sagona.

On January 17, 2007, Murphy was dealt to the Indiana Pacers along with teammates Mike Dunleavy, Jr., Ike Diogu, and Keith McLeod for Stephen Jackson, Al Harrington, Sarunas Jasikevicius, and Josh Powell. [cite web |url=http://www.mopsquad.com/artman2/publish/Indiana_Pacers_72/Pacers_Warriors_announce_8-player_deal.htm |title=Pacers, Warriors announce 8-player deal |publisher=Associated Press |date=2007-01-17 |accessdate = 2007-12-23]

NBA career statistics

Regular season

-
align="left" | 2001–02
align="left" | Golden State
82 || 4 || 17.7 || .421 || .333 || .776 || 3.9 || .9 || .4 || .3 || 5.9
-
align="left" | 2002–03
align="left" | Golden State
79 || 79 || 31.8 || .451 || .214 || .841 || 10.2 || 1.3 || .8 || .4 || 11.7
-
align="left" | 2003–04
align="left" | Golden State
28 || 0 || 21.8 || .440 || .294 || .750 || 6.2 || .7 || .4 || .6 || 10.0
-
align="left" | 2004–05
align="left" | Golden State
70 || 69 || 33.9 || .414 || .399 || .730 || 10.8 || 1.4 || .8 || .5 || 15.4
-
align="left" | 2005–06
align="left" | Golden State
74 || 74 || 34.0 || .433 || .320 || .787 || 10.0 || 1.4 || .6 || .3 || 14.0
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Golden State
26 || 17 || 25.7 || .450 || .373 || .712 || 6.0 || 2.3 || .8 || .6 || 8.9
-
align="left" | 2006–07
align="left" | Indiana
42 || 31 || 28.2 || .461 || .409 || .772 || 6.1 || 1.6 || .6 || .6 || 11.1
-
align="left" | 2007–08
align="left" | Indiana
75 || 61 || 28.1 || .455 || .398 || .797 || 7.2 || 2.2 || .6 || .4 || 12.2
-
align="left" | Career
align="left" |
476 || 335 || 28.2 || .438 || .372 || .780 || 7.9 || 1.4 || .6 || .4 || 11.4
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References

External links

* [http://www.goldenstateofmind.com/admin/story/2006/6/26/35211/9158 Report Card: Troy Murphy] (Golden State of Mind)
* [http://www.nba.com/playerfile/troy_murphy/ Troy Murphy Bio]
*
* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/players/m/murphtr01.html Current Stats]
* [http://databasebasketball.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MURPHTR01 More Current Stats]