EXCLUSIVE: Q&A with Phoenix Mercury guard Celeste Taylor
Phoenix Mercury guard Celeste Taylor details her time in Australia, provides an update on her foot injury and looks ahead to her second WNBA season.
Celeste Taylor is back in Phoenix for her second WNBA season. She returns to the Mercury on a training camp contract she signed in January.
Taylor spent much of the WNBA offseason in Australia, playing for the Sydney Flames of the WNBL on a one-year deal.
After helping the Sydney Flames to a playoff berth, Taylor suffered a foot injury on Feb. 12 in the Flames’ penultimate regular season game that saw her miss the playoffs.
Taylor played in 20 games (making 19 starts) with the Flames and averaged 28.1 minutes, 10.7 points, 3.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.8 steals and 0.8 blocks per game.
Taylor is back in Phoenix working with the Mercury and rehabbing her foot ahead of the start of training camp. Training camp begins on April 27, and the Mercury open their regular season on May 17 against the Seattle Storm.
Desert Wave Media: Celeste, how was your experience in Australia?
Taylor: “Yeah, it was really fun. It was definitely a learning experience my first time being overseas for that long. Obviously, I've had some stints with USA Basketball, so I've kind of understood being overseas and the style of play a little bit. But just being in one spot for a while, getting to really know my teammates and my coaches and the front office over there has been really cool too. But overall I think I had a pretty good first year overseas.”
Desert Wave Media: What led you to play in the offseason in Australia? Did you have other opportunities or other offers elsewhere?
Taylor: “Yeah, I had some offers (from) other places. I think for me the biggest thing was just making sure that it wasn't too long of a season. I know a lot of the EuroLeague and EuroCup teams they usually play for a long time going into April and May.
“And just the fact that I haven't had a break since the start of college. I think just making sure that I had a little time to rest and figure out my next move after that, so I think that's probably the biggest thing that went into it.
“Also, the warm weather there. Summertime over there didn't hurt at all either. I know a couple of people in Australia. I have a lot of friends out there. And so I think that also kind of played a part, just being somewhere that also speaks English as well.
“I think those are probably the biggest things that went into it.”
Desert Wave Media: How difficult was it to adjust to life in Australia because you had never been there before signing with the Flames?
Taylor: “Yeah, it wasn't too bad. I mean, like I said, they speak English there so it's not like I have to deal with a language barrier. But I mean, overall it was an incredible experience. I think the food's cleaner. I think just different things like that. I was in Sydney, so I was kind of in the city, so it wasn't too different. But yeah, I mean, it wasn't too hard adjusting.”
Desert Wave Media: With the Flames, you started playing point guard and then transitioned to playing shooting guard later on during the season. Which of those positions do you prefer, and where do you see yourself fitting in with this Mercury team this season?
Taylor: “Yeah, I mean, I think that I've always been a pretty versatile player, a player that can play multiple positions.
“I think so just keeping that open and in mind. I started in the point guard spot, but throughout the game, like you noticed when one of our point guards goes down, I bring up the ball, I initiate offense.
“Sometimes I don't really like putting labels onto what position that I am and what position I play. But, just being able to guard. At the end of the season, we struggled with injury, and so I was playing the four, playing the four-five.
“So, I was kind of all over, but I think that just helped me out as a player and just being able to understand different positions and being able to be very versatile, but to go into Phoenix, whatever position is needed for me to play, I'm more than happy to play.
“I think just having this stint overseas helped me be more comfortable in certain positions. And then when you have great players around you, it makes it that much easier to play a position like the point guard spot.
“So I mean, whatever spot I'm willing to do, but even last year coach Nate (Tibbetts) moved me around from one to two to even the three sometimes. So just whatever position is needed honestly.”
Desert Wave Media: How does playing for (coach) Nate (Tibbetts in Phoenix) differ from playing for coach Guy Molloy in Sydney?
Taylor: “Yeah, I think they're big players’ coaches.
“I think, coach Nate, obviously we had a lot of veterans on our team, so he was more in tune with I think us as players, and just trying to get a lot of feedback from players where Guy, we had a couple of veterans on the team, and a lot of us were first years in the WNBL, and so I think (Guy was) just trying to keep it more basic for us, more simple for us. But I mean overall two really good coaches. I feel like they understand the game. They know how to use their players.
“Coach Nate is really great at putting people in the right spots. (They’re both) really good coaches, so I'm definitely lucky to have played under both of them.”
Desert Wave Media: And then for those that might not follow the WNBL, you had your own injury in February. You had that foot injury. How's your foot feeling at this point? Are you going to be ready for training camp here in a few weeks?
Taylor: “Yeah, I think coming back to Phoenix has been really helpful. I’m just trying to get my feet under me, trying to figure it out.
“I feel good, but obviously (it’s) the doctor's discretion. I should do what's best for me and my future. But I'm in my rehab process, so it's been good to be able to touch the ball a little bit and continue to work and be around all the people with the Mercury. So the goal is to be ready by training camp. But if everything goes as planned, that's the plan.”
Desert Wave Media: You've had a really long past 12 months from finishing up college, to the draft, and then Indiana, and then the time between Phoenix, Connecticut, back to Phoenix, then Australia. What are some of your favorite ways to decompress and recharge, just with how busy you've been?
Taylor: “Yeah, like I said, I was lucky going to Australia in the summertime, so I haven't had to deal with the winter anywhere.
“I like being outside at the beach, by the pool, enjoying (time) with my family and friends, being around them. I like to get into my devotionals and the Bible and read that. I've started reading again. I'm reading (what) I guess you'd call a mystery right now that I got into. And I like to build Legos.”
Desert Wave Media: You also recently held a kids camp in the Greater New York area. What was that experience like?
Taylor: “Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Any chance that I get to give back to children, kids younger than me, I have the time of my life. I went to school to be a psychologist and I wanted to be a child psychologist. Still hopefully that happens at some point. But I think just being able to get back to the community. I haven't been home for a long time and haven't been in New York for more than two weeks at that.
“So just to be able to come back home and be able to see some new faces, see some familiar faces, see some younger kids. You don't realize how many kids look up to you till people show up at your camp and you're like, ‘wow.’ Obviously, there's more out there, but there's circumstances that come up. But just to have those kids and have my family and my friends around me to help out. I'm excited to have it every year.
“It was the first time, (I) had to learn a few things, get the hold of certain things, but each year I'm excited for it to be bigger and better and just to continue to give back to the community.”
Desert Wave Media: Now entering your second season in the league, second season with Phoenix, is a leadership role something that you're interested in taking on just with Phoenix losing a lot of vets from last year's team?
Taylor: “Yeah, I think in a lot of situations that I've been in, I've been able to be that leader and have that leadership role, and I think also people can say that you're a leader, but I think the actual work that you put in and who you are really demonstrates that. So, if that's what's needed for this team, I'm more than happy to do that. But we have people coming in who have been in the league. We have (Alyssa Thomas) and Satou (Sabally) and then we have (Kahleah Copper). And Sami (Whitcomb) who I've got to play overseas against.
“So, we have a lot of vets as well coming to the team. So it'll definitely be really cool, but if they have any questions about, I guess, things that are in Phoenix or around the facility, yeah, I'm more than happy to help there. But whatever is needed. I'm big on just wanting to win, so just doing whatever I need, working on my game and continuing to be the best player that I can be.”
Desert Wave Media: What part of your second WNBA season are you most excited for or are you most looking forward to?
Taylor: “Yeah, I think just knowing that I already did some of the season last year in the league, and I've impacted in certain areas, and so I think for me the biggest thing is to see my progression (and) to see the progress that I make.
“I'm excited to see where this team goes and to see what I can add to the organization and continue to add to the organization, but also just see my personal progression and the things that I'm getting better at, more comfortable with, and just excited to be a part of the league.”
Desert Wave Media: I noticed that kind of probably about the 10th game in the Sydney Flames season, you started to really improve offensively, and you were shooting the ball really well throughout the rest of the year. Was that something that you were really working on in Australia? Or is that something that was kind of more so coming naturally to you?
Taylor: “Yeah, I personally, have always … I take a little time to figure out the scene around me and just find my role.
“Like I said, I'm really big in just doing whatever the team needs to win, and we had a lot of people that can score the ball on the team. So, I was just trying to find other ways to continue to impact the game.
“I know I don't show it as frequently, but I know I'm a good shooter, and I know that I can score the ball offensively, and I think that a lot of it comes with a mindset of if this is the way I want to show that I'm this type of player, I'm an offensive-minded player, then I need to put that into my head.
“Obviously, not taking away anything defensively, but I think I just got more comfortable in the system, more comfortable in the position that I am realizing that in order for us to win, I do need to score and that it can take a lot of load off of the other players if I do score. And I think for me it's just a mentality thing and just mental because I know I'm in the gym all the time, and I'm putting up shots, and I see myself hitting shots.
“So, I know it's just a mental thing with me, but just having that confidence to just be ready to shoot, catch and shoot, drive and make plays for my teammates.”
Desert Wave Media: And then entering your second year with Phoenix, you won't really have to go through that adjustment again. So how will that help you in your game entering year two in the league?
Taylor: “Yeah, obviously, I think that it will have a huge impact.
“I mean, like I said, just being more comfortable. The system might be a little bit different just with the different players that we have around, but like I said, just being able to play against people that I played against last year, knowing that I can guard them or I can score and things like that. I think that will be super helpful, but I'm definitely excited to play with these new faces and see some familiar faces around the league.”