Celeste Taylor did every part she might at Duke. The 2023 ACC Defensive Participant of the Yr, Taylor was an enormous motive why Duke reached its first NCAA Event since 2018. From the second she arrived in 2021, she was the participant coach Kara Lawson leaned on to assist set up the tradition she needed.
Amongst discovering her voice as a frontrunner, serving to youthful gamers with movie and Xs and Os, there wasn’t a lot Taylor didn’t have a hand in at Duke. When the Blue Devils confronted Colorado within the second spherical of the NCAA Event, her on-court affect was on full show as properly. She completed with eight factors, 10 rebounds, 10 steals and eight assists, however Duke misplaced 61-53 in time beyond regulation. She wished she shot higher than 21 % within the loss, however it was exhausting to observe that sport and see extra that Taylor might do. Nonetheless, the loss broke her.
In tears, Taylor discovered her greatest followers, her mother and father Alex and Selene Navarro, after the sport. That second took her father again to Taylor’s eighth grade yr when her grassroots group misplaced a sport and he or she cried through the automotive journey dwelling. It was the identical situation; Taylor did every part on the ground however needed to do extra.
“I’m like, ‘Celeste, what are you crying about?’ She stated, ‘We misplaced the sport and I couldn’t rating,’” Navarro stated. “She was younger and I simply instructed her these offensive rebounds you bought added six extra factors, these stops you bought became factors.”
After they received dwelling, Navarro obtained a name from Taylor’s grassroots coach who stated a school coach needed to speak to him about Taylor. Regardless of the loss, the coach had cherished Taylor’s sport for the precise causes Navarro instructed his daughter: She impacts the sport in each aspect.
It’s the identical now. Taylor is a do-it-all participant for No. 12 Ohio State, the place she transferred to from Duke after final season. She’s averaging 7.6 factors per sport, fourth on the Buckeyes. She additionally has a career-high and team-best 3.8 assists per sport, a team-high 5 blocks and is second on the Buckeyes with 23 steals. However the participant Ohio State followers are attending to know higher wouldn’t be who she is with out moments just like the Colorado loss or every part that occurred earlier than.
GO DEEPER
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It’s in her lowest moments, when the tears are flowing after a troublesome loss or when accidents held her out of video games, that formed Taylor’s perspective. She’s nonetheless the extremely aggressive participant who was ranked No. 40 as a highschool recruit and desires to finish her ultimate school season on prime. However coming into her fifth yr, she’s additionally mature sufficient to grasp she’s greater than only a basketball participant. “I wish to develop a legacy that I can depart behind so far as folks seeing the individual I’m,” Taylor stated. “It’s about attempting to make the world a greater place.”
At any time when the NCAA Event ended for Duke, Taylor’s school profession was going to be over. That was the plan she and her household had devised. She was prepared to move to the WNBA. They even had an agent picked out.
However quickly after the Colorado loss final season, Taylor had a dialog along with her household. Navarro stated he thought Taylor might use one other yr of school; she might earn a grasp’s diploma after majoring in psychology at Duke after which pursue an expert profession afterward. Taylor didn’t agree, however promised she’d give it some thought within the coming days. The subsequent morning Taylor referred to as her mother and father and stated she was in. She was going again to Duke.
The return was quick lived, although.
Relationships are of sturdy significance to Taylor, who has three siblings and talks to her mom a number of instances per day. As a result of the household felt a detailed bond with Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff, Taylor strongly thought of the Buckeyes out of highschool. However she finally selected Texas due to one other sturdy relationship with Karon Aston.
At Duke, the household cherished Lawson, however their closest relationship was with assistant coach Winston Gandy. Over her two years at Duke, Taylor constructed a detailed relationship with Gandy. Any time she wanted to work out, go over movie or speak, Gandy was who she turned to. He even helped Navarro transfer Taylor into her new residence going into her second season.
However days after Taylor introduced she was staying at Duke, Navarro received a name from Gandy. “I’ve dangerous information for you,” Gandy stated. Navarro thought perhaps Duke misplaced a recruit or one thing, however Gandy stated he was accepting an assistant coach job at South Carolina below coach Daybreak Staley. Navarro was selfishly disillusioned, however he understood that job couldn’t be handed up.
Taylor came upon quickly after Navarro and knew a change needed to be made. “Celeste stated, ‘OK I gotta go to the portal. I can’t gamble on my final yr with who Kara might or might not usher in,” Navarro stated. Issues moved rapidly for Taylor after that.
The expertise of transferring from Texas to Duke gave her perception into the switch course of. However this time was completely different. She had one yr left. She couldn’t go someplace and assist break in a brand new tradition once more; she needed it’s a program that was already set and he or she might are available in to assist elevate it. The household centered on coaches and applications the place they already had developed relationships. In got here McGuff.
This was the third time he recruited Taylor. This was the best time for Taylor.
Ohio State was recent off an Elite Eight run and wanted a dynamic and skilled guard after the departure of Taylor Mikesell, who was drafted by the Indiana Fever. Taylor needed to play someplace she would slot in, enhance her sport, and work with a training workers that might push her. It was an ideal match.
As a do-it-all participant, Taylor averages 7.6 factors per sport and has a team-best 38 assists. (Brian Rothmuller / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)
Taylor performed highschool varsity as a seventh grader and averaged 10 factors per sport. However Navarro had a message for her: She wasn’t pretty much as good as she thought she was.
“These women are simply that dangerous,” he stated. “I instructed her now we have to get you out of right here since you’re not going to get higher and also you’re going to get a false sense of how good you could be.”
She left public college and went to Lengthy Island Lutheran for eighth grade. Navarro always communicated to his daughter that by committing to protection her coach must put her on the courtroom.Among the best components of Taylor’s sport grew to become her excessive basketball IQ, however blended along with her relentlessness on the courtroom. It made her an ideal match for Ohio State and McGuff.
Ohio State’s match run final season got here on the energy of its elite protection. The Buckeyes held opponents to 68 factors per sport, which wasn’t close to the highest of the nation, however that’s as a result of Ohio State sped up groups with its press.
So when Taylor entered the portal it was a no brainer for McGuff to succeed in out. And it’s labored out to date this season. Ohio State is giving up simply 60 factors per sport, however Taylor can be serving to within the half-court protection, a aspect of the sport Ohio State struggled with final season. Groups are taking pictures simply 38 % from the sector towards the Buckeyes, an enchancment from 43 % a yr in the past.
For Taylor, although, the match is extra than simply protection. Ohio State’s plethora of scoring choices, resembling Jacy Sheldon and Cotie McMahon, has allowed Taylor to indicate off extra of her playmaking abilities as properly. At Duke, Taylor was compelled to do so much within the offense and averaged greater than 10 shot makes an attempt per sport. At Ohio State she’s capable of play with much less consideration on her.
Celeste Taylor discovered her shot just a few weeks in the past and he or she hasn’t regarded again
Large bucket late pic.twitter.com/FwuVFUzWvr
— Mark Schindler (@MG_Schindler) December 10, 2023
“Right here, how will you deal with one participant when everyone is a confirmed scorer?” Taylor stated. “So it’s with the ability to hit open pictures, and I feel personally, and that is new for my offensive sport, is the help division. I wish to present that I can go the ball. I labored on this so much at Duke. I’ve at all times been forward on seeing issues earlier than it occurs.”
Although her taking pictures share is right down to 34 % she’s making an affect on either side of the ball.
After the loss to Colorado, Taylor struggled to consider something aside from her school profession being over. However her mother and father pressured that she had nothing to be disillusioned about. Between her two years at Texas and the affect she made at Duke, she left a robust legacy. Navarro instructed Taylor: “The tradition is ceaselessly modified.” That may’ve been exhausting for Taylor to simply accept years in the past.
“To not say I wasn’t affected person, however once you’re younger it’s on the spot gratification,” Taylor stated. “All people appears like they deserve this and deserve that.”
That’s not who Taylor is anymore. As she sat within the Ohio State follow health club earlier this season speaking about her journey, she stated it’s tough to consider. From the thrill of arriving at Texas to play for Aston to her coach being dismissed, the COVID-19 years, accidents at Duke and even the success. Taylor says she appreciates these experiences and has grown from them.
“My mother and father at all times inform me about issues once I was youthful, and I’m like I don’t wish to hear concerning the previous or take into consideration that,” Taylor stated. “Did I plan to go to Texas and say, ‘Oh I’m going to switch two instances after that? No. That was by no means in my head. … It’s essential to have the ability to sit again and mirror. In case you don’t sit again and mirror, how will you develop as an individual? As a school athlete it’s exhausting since you’re like I must go and go and go, and by the point you look again you’re a senior. You may solely develop as an individual when you sit again and have that perspective.”
Navarro has seen a change in Taylor, as properly. The smile she had when she left to go Texas as a freshman dimmed over time as she handled COVID-19 and being hundreds of miles from dwelling. “I’d inform my spouse she doesn’t appear to be the identical child that went away to Texas,” Navarro stated. “The happiness, the smile, I don’t see that.”
Once they visited Ohio State, he noticed it once more. For the primary time in years, he noticed his daughter with the identical pleasure she had on the courtroom rising up.
“I feel she’s at peace with what she’s completed,” Navarro stated. “I feel she connects with McGuff on a degree that’s letting her be herself. She’s so comfy and let go of attempting to impress folks or taking part in to get drafted. I feel she’s simply taking part in for herself and that’s what received her the place she was at to start with. She’s residing within the second.”
Excessive expectations for Ohio State this season are motivation for Taylor. “Individuals are anticipating this and I’m at all times going to work my hardest to make it occur,” Taylor stated. “That’s what broke me final yr after not beating Colorado. It was by no means about different folks saying we needed to win that sport as a result of we have been the upper seed. It was me. I really feel like I might’ve completed extra, however I did virtually every part I might’ve completed. I gave it my all. That’s all I count on out of myself.”
Taylor has helped lead Ohio State to a 9-1 document heading into Monday’s top-15 matchup towards second-ranked UCLA. Win or lose, Taylor is at peace with herself, as a result of she has one objective. “Being glad,” she stated. “It’s about being glad in each second.”
The remainder can come later.
(High photograph of Celeste Taylor: Jason Mowry / Icon Sportswire by way of Getty Photos)
