Audi Crooks is the face of Iowa State women’s basketball. She leads the team—and the nation—in scoring with 27.6 points per game despite only averaging 24.7 minutes. She already scored over 40 points twice and reached the thirty-point mark once.
Crooks is from Iowa. She grew up in Algona and led Bishop Garrigan High School to two back-to-back state titles. She was also named Iowa Miss Basketball in 2023. So, playing for the Iowa State Cyclones was an opportunity for Crooks to stay home and continue to be one of the faces of women’s basketball in Iowa.
However, it also marked a big change. When Crooks appeared on The Ringer WNBA show, she revealed that she actually grew up supporting the Iowa Hawkeyes—the team representing the University of Iowa. Crooks also noted that in a state that has no professional team, families’ allegiances to college teams run deep. So what made her change that allegiance and go to Iowa State?
“Coach Fennelly said something I’ll never forget on my visit,” Crooks said when asked what drew her to Iowa State. “He said, ‘Audi, if you don’t play here at Iowa State University, it will be your fault. If you don’t start, it’s your fault.’ So, that’s a take that I really liked because I don’t want to be given anything in life. I want to earn everything that I get, and to know that he’s kind of old school and has that mindset and I was raised on that mindset, I think that really sealed the deal for me.”
Choosing Iowa State worked out pretty well for Audi Crooks
Crooks is now in her third season at Iowa State and putting up her most impressive numbers yet. She is scoring at a high level and doing so incredibly efficiently, shooting 73.2% from the floor. If she continues to play at such a high level, she could end the season as the nation’s leading scorer and with some individual accolades on her resume.
One thing that is still lacking for Crooks and the Iowa State Cyclones is team success at the highest level. In Crooks’s freshman season, her team lost a close overtime game to Stanford in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. A year later, they fell to Michigan in the first round.
The Cyclones are still undefeated this year, but they also haven’t played very tough competition yet. They have some tough games against the Iowa Hawkeyes, Baylor, Oklahoma State, and TCU coming up that will test Crooks and her teammates. In those games, we should see Crooks play heavier minutes. Her team will need its leading scorer to consistently lead the charge against the top competition in the country.