Celeste Taylor

Biography

Joining the staff in June 2025, Celeste Taylor begins her first season as assistant coach of the GCU women's basketball team. The hiring reunites Gandy and Taylor in Phoenix after two seasons in Durham, where Gandy served head coach Kara Lawson's staff at Duke from 2020-21 to 2022-23. Taylor starred for the Blue Devils and earned multiple accolades, including ACC Defensive Player of the Year, All-ACC Defensive Team and All-ACC first team in 2023. Taylor's collegiate play translated into a professional career in the WNBA in 2024. The 5-foot-11 guard was drafted in the second round by the Indiana Fever and appeared in five games before moving to the Connecticut Sun and Phoenix Mercury. In Phoenix, she made 15 appearances with averages of 3.5 points, 1.8 rebounds, 1.8 assists and1.0 steals in 20 minutes per game. Taylor spent the offseason with the Sydney Flames of the WNBL in the spring of 2025, averaging 10.7 points, 3.4 boards, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per contest. Taylor made an immediate impact at Texas, where she spent her first two collegiate seasons. She was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2020, averaging 9.3 points and 4.8 boards in Austin. She notched a career-high 12.3 points per game her next season at Texas en route to All-Big 12 honorable mention accolades. The move to Durham in 2021 elevated her play further, becoming one of the nation's best defenders with multiple defensive accolades. In two seasons with Gandy as assistant turned associate head coach