Sophomore Alexis Navarro experienced the joy of seeing her sister, Celeste Taylor, selected as the #15 overall pick in the WNBA draft on April 15.
Taylor was drafted early in the second round by the Indiana Fever and will play next year with Caitlin Clark, the incandescent basketball star from Iowa.
“I am extremely proud of her,” said Navarro. “My whole family is. We’ve been behind her this entire time, for years now. It’s amazing to see her succeed and be recognized for everything she’s done.”
What Taylor has done during a five-year collegiate career at Texas, Duke, and Ohio State is impressive. She was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in 2024 and won the same honor in the Atlantic Coast Conference in 2023.
A 5’11” point guard, she averaged 10.8 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game as a college player.
According to Charlie Creme, ESPN’s women’s basketball writer, “The best perimeter defender in the draft, Taylor is especially good at pressuring the ball with above-average quickness and long arms.”
Navarro witnessed the draft from a Manhattan watch party arranged by Taylor’s agent. She was joined by siblings Isaiah and Ariel while her parents sat at the draft table in Brooklyn with Celeste. Taylor is the surname of the two older siblings, Isaiah and Celeste; Alexis and Ariel are Navarros.
The pre-physical therapy major never played on the same team with her older sister but did grow up playing several sports. At Neumann, she is the goalkeeper for the women’s soccer team and a wide receiver on the flag football club.
Philadelphia doesn’t have a WNBA team, but Navarro is already making plans to see her sister play. She lives in Valley Stream, NY, a Long Island town that’s close to Manhattan.
“The Fever plays the New York Liberty in May at Madison Square Garden. We’re hoping to make a family trip and watch her play.”