Graduate guard Celeste Taylor committed to Ohio State Apr. 20. Taylor was the ACC Defensive Player of the Year at Duke last season. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Lantern Photo File
An Ohio State women’s basketball team that topped defensive rankings and stifled teams with their full-court press last season will now be even stronger.
Graduate guard Celeste Taylor announced via Instagram April 20 that she will be joining the Buckeyes for the 2023-24 season, after a decorated career at both Duke and Texas.
Taylor, who split her last four seasons between the Blue Devils and Longhorns, started all 33 games for Duke during the 2022-23 season. She led the team in points, bringing in 11.4 per game, but her impact was heavily noticed on the defensive end of the ball.
Taylor was awarded the 2023 Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Year Feb. 28, while receiving nods for All-ACC First Team, ACC All-Defensive Team and Naismith Women’s Defensive Player of the Year Award Finalist.
In addition to being a scoring threat for the Blue Devils, Taylor also led the team in steals with 2.2 per game and 72 total steals. The Valley Stream, New York, native’s knack for defense showed in the highest moment last year as she made history during the postseason, setting the Duke NCAA Tournament record for steals with 10 takeaways against Colorado on March 20.
Taylor became the first player in the history of the women’s NCAA Tournament to register at least eight points, eight rebounds, eight assists and eight steals since 2000.
The addition of Taylor not only adds a player with four years of collegiate basketball experience, but a versatile two-way player that will add depth to the Buckeyes locker room.
