Audi Crooks is the leading scorer in women’s college basketball right now, averaging 26.3 points on 67.5% shooting in just 28.4 minutes per game. For comparison, Hannah Hidalgo is next in line with 24.9 points per game. She averages over 35 minutes per game.
Despite Crooks’s undeniable talent as an inside scorer, there are some doubts about her WNBA potential, mainly because of her defensive limitations, lack of athleticism compared to other prospects, and the fact that she is largely a one-dimensional scorer who thrives around the rim. The WNBA is moving away from bigs like that, especially when they don’t have a significant height advantage, and versatile forwards are taking over the game.
However, Crooks’s talent as a scorer is undeniable. Plus, she simply hasn’t had to develop much of an outside game yet because Iowa State needs her in the paint and excels at post entry passes. Sheryl Swoopes, for one, wouldn’t pass on Crooks if she had the chance to draft her.
“I don’t see a team passing up on Audi Crooks because there are people saying that she doesn’t really jump,” Swoopes said on The Women’s Hoops Show with Jordan Robinson. “Well, how high can you jump? I don’t see teams passing up on her because she ‘can’t jump that high.’ She’s skilled. She’s very, very, very skilled. I will say, at 6’3”, going to the next level, though…yes, she’s going to have to develop a perimeter game a little bit. not at the 3-point line, but being able to step away from the basket, put the ball on the deck, and get to the hole, or at least a little 10- to 15-feet jumper if she wants to be successful at the next level.”
She added, “If I was coaching in the WNBA, I wouldn’t pass up on Audi Crooks because you get a lot of talent to work with there.”
Audi Crooks has to prove that she can expand her game
While getting Sheryl Swoopes’s vote of confidence means a lot, Crooks still has to prove that she can adapt and add to her game to be successful at the next level. She is a virtually unstoppable scorer on the inside in the college game, but that may look different when she is going up against All-WNBA level pros like A’ja Wilson, Alyssa Thomas, Napheesa Collier, or Aliyah Boston—all of whom will also expose any defensive weaknesses they can spot.
The 2025 All-WNBA teams were stacked with frontcourt players. All of those players have versatile skill sets and excel at more than just scoring on the inside. Wilson and Collier can score from all over the court and are defensive standouts. Thomas and Boston may not be the same outside scorers that Wilson and Collier are, but they are excellent defenders and some of the best passing bigs in the league. Nneka Ogwumike, who was also a member of the All-WNBA Second team, is a very efficient scorer around the rim, but also has a reliable 3-point shot.
Crooks will also have to add to her game if she wants to succeed at the next level. She has shown the ability to make good passes out of the post and the willingness to expand her range. For example, she hit a free-throw line jumper early in the Cyclones’ loss to Baylor, and she made a three against West Virginia. The offense should come along with the right development and focus. The defense is a bigger question mark.