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Celeste Taylor’s time with Ohio State women’s basketball doesn’t end with transfer regret
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Following Sunday’s defeat, the graduate senior reflected on the decision to move to the Buckeyes
Since the start of Celeste Taylor’s NCAA career, the guard has been on the court. From starting 28 of the Texas Longhorn’s 30 games in her freshman year through Sunday’s Ohio State loss to the Duke Blue Devils, Taylor showcased prominently in all three stops as a college student athlete.
At each stop, Taylor picked up fans who were drawn to a player who made a name for herself on the defensive side of the ball. The 5-foot-11 New York native grabbed conference attention too, earning accolades across three different Power Five conferences. Taylor was a member of the 2020 Big 12 All-Freshman team and Defensive Player of the Year in both the ACC and Big Ten.
Sunday’s loss in the Second Round was especially tough for Taylor, from the outside looking in. That’s because one of those stops was in Cameron Indoor Stadium, with the Duke Blue Devils. Losing to a former team, in an upset, gives all the appearances of a moment creating a swirling vortex of regret in the mind of Taylor.
“I wouldn’t have made any other decision my fifth year,” said Taylor following the defeat. “I’m very happy on the decision I made.”
Last season, after Duke lost to the Colorado Buffaloes in another Second Round upset defeat, Taylor thought she was done with college basketball. Fresh off the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and one of three finalists for National Defensive Player of the Year, it was a good time to shift to the next level.
That changed with Taylor deciding to stick with Duke for one final season, after graduating with her undergraduate degree. However, when an assistant coach who became like family left for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Taylor made the decision to enter the transfer portal.
The move upset fans of the Blue Devils, but Taylor did what every coach is allowed to do. It ended with a landing spot in Columbus, with the goal of winning a National Championship.
Ohio State fell five games short of its goal.
“We didn’t play our best today. Obviously, the want was there, but it was just the little things that we couldn’t pull through on,” said Taylor. Credit to Duke, they came in strong in the second half. And once they took that lead, it was hard for us to come back.”
Taylor’s career isn’t ending full of individual accomplishments and an empty team trophy cabinet. The guard’s work is evident in each previous stop.
With the Longhorns, Taylor had one season to be a freshman, learning the ropes from her teammates. At the end of the campaign, head coach Karen Aston was dismissed from her position, replaced by Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer. That added team leader to the underclassmen’s responsibilities, as only one of five returning players.
Fast forward to the next season, fresh off a transfer to Duke, and Blue Devils head coach Kara Lawson had Taylor to help impart her team tactics and culture into a team who lost most of its players due to a cancelled 2020-21 season after four games.
All-in-all, Taylor had four coaches in five years. Of that handful of seasons, three times Taylor was somebody coaches relied upon to be a leader for her teammates. The results of that foundation building is evident.
Texas entered the 2024 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, with two teammates from Taylor’s final year at Texas excelling for the Longhorns. They enter the Sweet Sixteen with Duke, a team returning five of Taylor’s former teammates who had its part in ending the guard’s collegiate career.
What made the defeat more difficult for Taylor was that she couldn’t see it out to the end. The guard fouled out in the fourth quarter, playing 28 minutes in the 75-63 defeat.
“Definitely hard,” said Taylor. “Obviously, I want to be out there with them every chance that I get. So it was definitely tough.”
Alongside fellow Buckeye graduate senior Rebeka Mikulasikova, the two could only watch Ohio State’s season come to an end. The silver lining in all of it is that future members of the Scarlet and Gray have learned from their time with a player who looks out for her teammates.
Watch Buckeyes games throughout the season, and Taylor is there helping give perspective to teammates like Cotie McMahon after picking up a technical foul against the Iowa Hawkeyes on March 3. Taylor’s also there after the small plays, helping teammates up or getting helped up after a chase down block or taking contact inside the paint.
When future leaders like McMahon and guard Taylor Thierry take the helm next season as head coach Kevin McGuff’s team leaders, they’ll be better for it because of the one season Taylor had in scarlet and gray.
Even in the preseason, when Taylor came to the team late following a summer of 3X3 basketball with Team USA, the guard showed not only leadership, but genuine caring that’s become part of a foundation that may help get Ohio State back into contention for the Sweet Sixteen next season.
Despite her former ACC teammates moving on to Portland for the next round of March Madness, Taylor’s confident was confident about one thing following the end of her college basketball playing days.
“I’m honestly proud to say that I came to be a Buckeye.”
Continue reading...
ThomasCostello via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
Following Sunday’s defeat, the graduate senior reflected on the decision to move to the Buckeyes
Since the start of Celeste Taylor’s NCAA career, the guard has been on the court. From starting 28 of the Texas Longhorn’s 30 games in her freshman year through Sunday’s Ohio State loss to the Duke Blue Devils, Taylor showcased prominently in all three stops as a college student athlete.
At each stop, Taylor picked up fans who were drawn to a player who made a name for herself on the defensive side of the ball. The 5-foot-11 New York native grabbed conference attention too, earning accolades across three different Power Five conferences. Taylor was a member of the 2020 Big 12 All-Freshman team and Defensive Player of the Year in both the ACC and Big Ten.
Sunday’s loss in the Second Round was especially tough for Taylor, from the outside looking in. That’s because one of those stops was in Cameron Indoor Stadium, with the Duke Blue Devils. Losing to a former team, in an upset, gives all the appearances of a moment creating a swirling vortex of regret in the mind of Taylor.
“I wouldn’t have made any other decision my fifth year,” said Taylor following the defeat. “I’m very happy on the decision I made.”
Last season, after Duke lost to the Colorado Buffaloes in another Second Round upset defeat, Taylor thought she was done with college basketball. Fresh off the ACC Defensive Player of the Year award and one of three finalists for National Defensive Player of the Year, it was a good time to shift to the next level.
That changed with Taylor deciding to stick with Duke for one final season, after graduating with her undergraduate degree. However, when an assistant coach who became like family left for the South Carolina Gamecocks, Taylor made the decision to enter the transfer portal.
The move upset fans of the Blue Devils, but Taylor did what every coach is allowed to do. It ended with a landing spot in Columbus, with the goal of winning a National Championship.
Ohio State fell five games short of its goal.
“We didn’t play our best today. Obviously, the want was there, but it was just the little things that we couldn’t pull through on,” said Taylor. Credit to Duke, they came in strong in the second half. And once they took that lead, it was hard for us to come back.”
Taylor’s career isn’t ending full of individual accomplishments and an empty team trophy cabinet. The guard’s work is evident in each previous stop.
With the Longhorns, Taylor had one season to be a freshman, learning the ropes from her teammates. At the end of the campaign, head coach Karen Aston was dismissed from her position, replaced by Mississippi State head coach Vic Schaefer. That added team leader to the underclassmen’s responsibilities, as only one of five returning players.
Fast forward to the next season, fresh off a transfer to Duke, and Blue Devils head coach Kara Lawson had Taylor to help impart her team tactics and culture into a team who lost most of its players due to a cancelled 2020-21 season after four games.
All-in-all, Taylor had four coaches in five years. Of that handful of seasons, three times Taylor was somebody coaches relied upon to be a leader for her teammates. The results of that foundation building is evident.
Texas entered the 2024 NCAA Tournament as a No. 1 seed, with two teammates from Taylor’s final year at Texas excelling for the Longhorns. They enter the Sweet Sixteen with Duke, a team returning five of Taylor’s former teammates who had its part in ending the guard’s collegiate career.
What made the defeat more difficult for Taylor was that she couldn’t see it out to the end. The guard fouled out in the fourth quarter, playing 28 minutes in the 75-63 defeat.
“Definitely hard,” said Taylor. “Obviously, I want to be out there with them every chance that I get. So it was definitely tough.”
Alongside fellow Buckeye graduate senior Rebeka Mikulasikova, the two could only watch Ohio State’s season come to an end. The silver lining in all of it is that future members of the Scarlet and Gray have learned from their time with a player who looks out for her teammates.
Watch Buckeyes games throughout the season, and Taylor is there helping give perspective to teammates like Cotie McMahon after picking up a technical foul against the Iowa Hawkeyes on March 3. Taylor’s also there after the small plays, helping teammates up or getting helped up after a chase down block or taking contact inside the paint.
When future leaders like McMahon and guard Taylor Thierry take the helm next season as head coach Kevin McGuff’s team leaders, they’ll be better for it because of the one season Taylor had in scarlet and gray.
Even in the preseason, when Taylor came to the team late following a summer of 3X3 basketball with Team USA, the guard showed not only leadership, but genuine caring that’s become part of a foundation that may help get Ohio State back into contention for the Sweet Sixteen next season.
Despite her former ACC teammates moving on to Portland for the next round of March Madness, Taylor’s confident was confident about one thing following the end of her college basketball playing days.
“I’m honestly proud to say that I came to be a Buckeye.”
Continue reading...