Caitlin Clark’s Ex-Teammate Announces Shocking Decision After Season-Long Injury Ruled Her Out of WNBA

“There have been teams who wanted me to come back this season, and I think for me, it’s trying to get healthy and trying to maintain in the space of being fit and looking at what’s right for my body, listening to my body.” Those were the words of Caitlin Clark’s former teammate, Celeste Taylor, who had a rollercoaster of a rookie season in the W last year. Taylor bounced around between the Fever, Mercury, and the Sun during her first year before suffering an injury while playing basketball in the offseason, which has ruled her out for the upcoming WNBA season. But she’s not letting that setback slow her down or kill her motivation.

During her time with Phoenix, Taylor quietly made her mark, playing 15 regular-season games and starting in four, while playing almost 20 minutes per game. She contributed 2.6 points, 1.3 rebounds, and 1.3 assists last season, showing flashes of her potential. Taylor was all set to return to the Mercury after signing a one-year, non-guaranteed training contract with the team, but she ultimately decided to rule herself out for the season to focus on her rehab.

But Taylor isn’t stepping away from basketball entirely this season. According to ESPN’s Alexa Philippou, Caitlin Clark’s former teammate will take on a coaching role while she recovers from the foot injury she suffered playing in Australia. She also hopes to play in the W next year.

Taylor is teaming up with her former college assistant coach at Duke, Winston Gandy, who’s now leading the Grand Canyon program. Taylor will join him as his assistant. This move to coaching at just 24 years old stunned many in the WNBA community, as  Taylor was seen as a rising star with her lockdown defense and All-Big Ten honors from Ohio State.

via Imago

Gandy has had previous experience coaching alongside the likes of Dawn Staley at South Carolina and Kara Lawson at Durham.

Taylor sat down for an interview with ESPN to explain why she decided to take on the coaching role. Let’s take a look at what she had to say.

Caitlin Clark’s former teammate talks about her decision to become a coach

Grand Canyon put together an impressive national-best 30-game win streak last season under head coach Molly Miller and made its first-ever NCAA Division I tournament appearance. With her former collegiate assistant coach Winston Gandy taking over the program after Miller left for Arizona, it made sense for Taylor to join him, given her current situation.

Grand Canyon’s women’s basketball program is a rising mid-major contender, and Taylor’s role will focus on mentoring young guards, sharing her defensive expertise from her college career and time in the WNBA system.

“When the opportunity presented itself, it honestly worked out perfectly with timing and everything,” Taylor said. “Once I had explained to [Gandy] what the situation is, of wanting to get healthy but also wanting to follow in this path of being a coach and having the opportunity of giving back to younger kids and being in that leadership role and just continuing to pour into student-athletes and give them the best experience, it’s a no-brainer to take it.”

Taylor will be hoping this coaching stint helps her grow even more as a player. Injuries are always tough to deal with. Her former teammate, Caitlin Clark, is also sidelined right now, forced to watch from the sidelines. It will be interesting to see when these two get back on the court. As opponents or teammates, watching players come back stronger from an injury is something all fans love to see!