Graduate guard Celeste Taylor does her pregame handshake with sophomore guard Kennedy Cambridge ahead of then-No. 3 Ohio State’s 74-69 win over then No. 12 Indiana Feb. 4 at the Schottenstein Center. Credit: Aiden Ridgway | For The Lantern
Former Ohio State guard Celeste Taylor was selected No. 15 overall by the Indiana Fever in the second round of the 2024 WNBA draft Monday at the Brooklyn Academy of Music in Brooklyn, New York.
In her five-year collegiate career, Taylor was known as a defensive stalwart, earning the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in 2023 with the Blue Devils and the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year this season with Ohio State.
She also received all-conference recognition in both the ACC and the Big Ten.
Taylor finished her college career with 1,576 points, 340 assists and 296 steals. She averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.4 assists in her lone season with the Buckeyes, after spending two seasons apiece at both Texas and Duke, respectively.
As a Buckeye, she led the Big Ten in steals per game with 2.5 and had 24 games with multiple steals.
During her two years with Duke, Taylor averaged 11.2 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.3 assists per game to go along with 113 total steals. Last season, Taylor set the Duke NCAA Tournament record with 10 steals versus Colorado in the Round of 32.
She also finished with 8 points, eight assists and 10 rebounds, becoming the first player to total at least eight in those four categories since 2000 and the only player to record 10 rebounds and 10 steals in a single game.
During her time with Texas, Taylor made the 2020 All-Big 12 Freshman Team and averaged 10.7 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She also recorded 99 steals across her two seasons with the Longhorns.
While most will remember Taylor for her defensive prowess, she did show versatility with her strong and consistent offensive performance. She had a pair of 20-point performances this season and a pair of double-doubles as well.
