Celeste Taylor’s basketball journey has been anything but normal. A five-star recruit from Valley Stream, New York, Taylor played in three separate conferences during her college career before the Indiana Fever selected her in the 2024 WNBA draft.
After a tumultuous rookie season, she finds herself as the latest member of Grand Canyon University’s new women’s basketball coaching staff, serving as an assistant to coach Winston Gandy.
“I think for me, it’s always been that type of give back that I think a lot of people don’t have or don’t get the chance to have,” she said. “So why not do it in a sport that I’ve played and been around? When I started seeing how much of an impact certain coaches have had on my life, it was a no-brainer for me to be a part of that space and impact people in the younger generation below me.”
Taylor earned Big-12 All-Freshman and All-ACC Defensive honors during her two-year stints in both conferences before ultimately transferring to Ohio State in 2023 and earning a spot on the 2024 All-Big Ten second team.
Taylor spent her rookie season in the WNBA with three separate franchises before settling with the Phoenix Mercury for their 2024 playoff run.
Taylor joined the Mercury’s training camp roster this season, but was unavailable to fully participate until the final preseason game due to a nagging foot injury she suffered in the Women’s National Basketball League.
As a first-year coach only two years removed from playing college basketball, Taylor offers a new perspective to a GCU team looking to continue its storied legacy under new leadership.
More importantly, Taylor views this as an opportunity to guide the next generation of women’s basketball players.
“I’ve always been in that space where I’ve always wanted to give back,” Taylor said. “I didn’t come from a rich family. I understand the process that it takes to get here. So if I can be a small part of someone else’s journey and impact them with my light or my grace, I am willing to do it.”
She now rejoins her former coach from her time at Duke, Gandy. During their time together as a player-coach duo – Gandy was an assistant – Duke went 40-23 over the span of two seasons.
Taylor was with the Mercury when news broke in March of Gandy joining Grand Canyon, a position that opened after Molly Miller accepted the same job at Arizona State.
“Her character, integrity and work ethic. That’s what drew me to (Taylor),” Gandy said. “There are a lot of people I know, but when you talk about the ability to impact young women’s lives, she’s pivotal to moving the needle in that direction.”
The Lopes aim to build on their success under Miller with Gandy and Taylor at the helm of their team. As a first-time coach, Taylor is thrilled with the opportunity to add her name to Grand Canyon’s legacy.
“It’s super exciting,” she said. “It’s always exciting when you’re going into a space that has set the tone for you. You kind of want to follow that, but at the same time, you want to create your own space. You want to create your own legacy.”
While adding on to the legacy would be nice, Taylor remained adamant that the primary focus for GCU women’s basketball is shaping the players into better people.
“Obviously, we want to win games,” she said. “But like I said before, we’re focused on growing these girls and making sure they’re great humans. Making sure they’re able to function on their own and when they leave us, be the best players that they can be.”
Whether Taylor will be focusing her coaching on offense or defense is to be determined. As of now, Taylor and Gandy have been primarily focusing on her ability to build relationships with the players.
“If there’s a player that connects more with me than they do with another assistant, they’ll probably be with me more for their individual sessions,” Taylor said. “But as far as different job titles between assistant coaches, there haven’t been too many (discussions.) We’re just collaborating, being a tight unit and seeing where it ends up.”
Returning graduate student Ale’jah Douglas, one of only two players returning to the court for Grand Canyon, is looking forward to seeing how everything unfolds on and off the court.
“I’m very excited,” Douglas said. “Change is obviously uncomfortable, but we’re just trying to take things day by day.”
Douglas spent one season with Clemson and one with Oklahoma State before transferring to Grand Canyon last season. During her time at Clemson, she had the opportunity to play against Taylor, who was still with Duke.
“She was their key player,” Douglas said. “I got a couple of minutes in that game. It was just a good experience.”
While her immediate focus is on GCU and its program, hope remains for a potential return to the WNBA for Taylor.
“I take things one step at a time. I don’t try to get too ahead of myself,” Taylor said. “I’ve had a great time playing. There’s room for me to continue to play. But I think I’m kind of in the space where I’m focused on being a coach here.”
If Taylor does decide to make a return to the WNBA, her coaching job keeps her in the heart of Phoenix – where the Mercury, a team she has a powerful connection to, are right down the street.
Will Taylor make a return to the hardwood? As of now, growing as a person and helping the next upstart women’s players find their footing in the fast-paced world of college basketball will be her main focus.
“I’m not so concerned about (coaching) improving or adding to me as a player, but I think more as a person in a leadership role,” Taylor said. “Whether I want to come back in the following years or whatever the plan is for me, I know that this process is going to give me the boost to do whatever I want in my life.”