Fifth-year guard Celeste Taylor (12) drives to the hoop after intercepting a pass against Rutgers. No. 17 Ohio State defeated the Scarlet Knights 90-55 at the Schottenstein Center Jan. 11. Credit: Caleb Blake | Photo Editor
With the continued success of the Ohio State women’s basketball team, one player continues to keep her name in the headlines: graduate guard Celeste Taylor.
In turn, Taylor was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year on March 5. Taylor also received All-Big Ten Second Team honors and All-Big Ten Defensive Team honors.
On March 11, Taylor was announced as a semifinalist for the 2024 Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year award, one of 10 players selected and the only one representing the Big Ten.
Taylor leads the Big Ten in steals per game (2.3) and is seventh in blocks per game (0.9). She is also averaging 10.2 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists this season.
In a press conference on Monday, Taylor said she would not have won the award without the support of her teammates.
“I think it’s pretty cool to be in an environment where I can show my talents of playing defense. I think it’s also credit to the programs that I have been at that have helped me put me in the right position to be able to win that award,” Taylor said.
Taylor started her collegiate career at the University of Texas from 2019-21. She averaged 9.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.4 steals and 0.7 blocks her freshman year in 2019. The following season, Taylor upped her game in nearly every statistical category, averaging 12.3 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.1 steals.
After two seasons at Texas, Taylor transferred to Duke for two years.
In her first season as a Blue Devil, she averaged 11 points, 5.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists. She also added a defensive element as she logged in 1.8 steals and 0.5 blocks.
Over her senior year at Duke, Taylor averaged 11.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, 2.2 steals and 0.6 blocks, leading her to win the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award. Taylor then entered the transfer portal once again, this time taking her talents up north to Columbus at Ohio State.
Taylor has received many other accolades at Ohio State such as Big Ten Player of the Week, ESPN Player of the Week and Big Ten Weekly Honor Roll.
“The thing that I’m happy about with her here is that she plays really hard defensively on every possession, and she really competes at a high level on that end of the floor, but she’s also got really good instincts just to make plays,” head coach Kevin McGuff said.
Taylor and the Buckeyes will return to action as the No. 2 seed as they will host No. 15-seeded Maine in the Round of 64 Friday at Value City Arena at the Schottenstein Center. Tipoff is at noon.
