At the start of the 2024-25 college basketball season, Ohio State women's basketball brought in former guard Jacy Sheldon to help lead the next group of Buckeyes. That came through a Director of Player Development position. That role only lasted a season as Sheldon added more opportunities to play professionally outside of the WNBA and the role lay dormant until Saturday. That is when Ohio State announced former guard/forward Taylor Thierry as its new Director of Player Development.
Thierry left Columbus after the 24-25 season and joined the WNBA's Atlanta Dream. After one season coming in off the bench, Atlanta cut the Buckeye who was not a free agent for long. The Seattle Storm brought in Thierry on a player development contract before adding her as a part of the full-time roster. Now, Thierry returns to Ohio State to impart her own experience and wisdom on the latest group of Buckeyes.
"I was happy that she [Thierry] got an opportunity, and I think she would fit the bill of what may be impactful in helping these young kids grow," head coach Kevin McGuff told Land-Grant Holy Land.
Off the court, coaches, teammates and fans knew Thierry as the quietest member of the Buckeyes. Assistant coach Jalen Powell joked that she did not hear the Cleveland, Ohio area native talk until over a year into the program. However, on the court, Thierry's game was anything but low volume.
McGuff often heralded Thierry's athleticism. Daughter of a college volleyball player and NFL veteran, Thierry combined an effortless speed and ability to leap and cut off passes like a professional cornerback into four years of standout basketball for Ohio State. Thierry showed her promise as a freshman when she earned the trust of the coaching staff to grow her role into the Big Ten calendar despite only coming off the bench.
From Thierry's sophomore season on, she never missed a game for Ohio State, starting all 101 matchups. As a senior, Thierry was instrumental in the full court press for the Buckeyes and led the team with 2.3 steals per game, the highest total for the Big Ten for the 24-25 season. In those three seasons as a starter, Thierry earned a spot on the All-Big Ten team as a sophomore and junior while picking up a place on the All-Defense Team as a senior.
What fans did not see about Thierry, that will help the current group of Buckeyes as they move into their upperclassmen years is the work she did in practice. After practice, Thierry was known for going back into the gym to work on areas of her game. For example, Thierry went from taking .9 three-point attempts per game in her sophomore and junior seasons to attempting 1.7 per game at a 46.4% clip, both career highs.
As Director of Player Development, Thierry helps fill the void between player and coach. Thierry will help guide the current roster of Buckeyes through the balance of school and basketball while also working with the team in practice, which helps both Ohio State improve and Thierry keep working during the WNBA offseason.
It will not take Thierry long to get acclimated to the side as she played with four current Ohio State players in Jaloni Cambridge, Kennedy Cambridge, Ava Watson and Elsa Lemmilä.
