Duke women's basketball guard Celeste Taylor enters transfer portal

Taylor, who was named ACC Defensive Player of the Year in February, has committed to Ohio State.

Celeste Taylor drives in Duke's ACC tournament victory against North Carolina.
Celeste Taylor drives in Duke's ACC tournament victory against North Carolina.

In a sudden turn of events, Celeste Taylor has entered the transfer portal. A team spokesperson confirmed the news to The Chronicle Wednesday evening after initial reports by The Athletic’s Chantel Jennings but declined to comment further.

Taylor announced her commitment to Ohio State April 20 via social media, eight days after The Chronicle's initial report. In the announcement, Taylor thanked Duke "for the unwavering support" and her coaches "for giving me a place I can call home and helping me to learn and grow."

Taylor's portal entry and subsequent commitment comes after the senior guard announced March 27 that she would return to Duke to play out her fifth and final year of collegiate eligibility.

“I wouldn't want to spend my final years of college basketball anywhere else,” said Taylor in her original announcement. “I believe I am not quite done yet. I will be playing my final year of college basketball at Duke University."

Taylor's return announcement video has since been taken down from Twitter.

The New York native was a key piece of Duke’s success in her two years with the program, culminating in her winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year in February. In her 2022-23 season, she averaged a team-high 11.4 points and 4.8 rebounds while ranking fourth in steals in the conference with 2.2 per game.

Taylor joins a handful of her teammates in the transfer portal, including Shayeann Day-Wilson, Lee Volker, Shay Bollin and Jordyn Oliver, who recently committed to Vanderbilt. This is not Taylor’s first rodeo with the portal — the Long Island Lutheran product moved to Duke from Texas in April 2021 after her sophomore season.

This article was updated April 20 after Taylor's commitment to Ohio State.


Sophie Levenson | Sports features editor

Sophie Levenson is a Trinity sophomore and sports features editor of The Chronicle's 119th volume.

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