Audi Crooks’ journey from small-town sensation to top center unfolds at No. 8 Iowa State

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State coaches and athletes were at the Algona stop on the Cyclone Club statewide meet-and-greet tour this summer when Audi Crooks’ popularity truly registered with women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly. Her autograph line dwarfed that of football coach Matt Campbell.

“That never happens,” Fennelly said.

Crooks has been beloved by the Algona community for years, not only for her prodigious scoring production at Bishop Garrigan High School but also for her enthusiastic participation in just about every youth activity while she was growing up in the town of 5,000 two hours north of Iowa State’s campus in Ames.

Her celebrity as an athlete grew as she defied modest expectations entering her freshman season to become a unanimous All-Big 12 first-team center, and she introduced herself to the nation when she erupted for 40 points against Maryland in the NCAA Tournament.

Crooks earned honorable mention for the preseason Associated Press All-America team and, along with three other returning starters, leads No. 8 Iowa State into a season of high expectations that begins against Chicago State.

She also is ready to take over as one of the faces of women’s college basketball, a role that suits the 19-year-old known for her quick smile and effervescent personality.

“I never anticipated all the attention and the spotlight,” she said. “I’ve tried to handle it with grace. Any attention I can bring to Iowa State women’s basketball and to the women’s basketball movement I will happily do.”

Crooks scored 2,734 points in high school, third-most all-time among Iowa girls, and set an all-class, state-tournament record with 49 points in the 2023 Class 1A championship game. But 1A is the state’s smallest class, and there were questions about whether she could make a rapid and successful transition to power-conference college basketball.

“Most people thought she couldn’t do it,” Fennelly said.

It wasn’t just a question of Crooks’ skill. At 6-foot 3, she cuts an imposing figure. She has good hands and feet. Some schools, though, were concerned whether she would be able to handle the speed of the game.

Fennelly credited Erin Brocka, the program’s director of strength and conditioning, for designing a program to get Crooks ready for her first season and Crooks for her dedication to following the plan. Crooks said she hoped to play maybe 10 minutes per game as a freshman, maybe more as the season progressed. She averaged 26.

Fennelly set his sights a little higher, telling her she would make an impact if she averaged 10 points and five rebounds per game.

She did so much more. She joined the starting lineup in the fifth game and ended up averaging 19.2 points per game and shooting 57.7% from the floor, the best mark by a Division I freshman last season. Her 635 points were a school freshman record, obliterating Megan Taylor’s previous mark of 460 points in 1997-98.

“Anyone would be lying if they said they expected it,” fifth-year guard Emily Ryan said. “You can’t anticipate that much of a boom right away. It was so cool to see, though. She had so much belief in herself, and everyone had so much belief in her that she could be what she is. Just to see the way she worked every single day to get to that point is really special.”

Crooks scored at least 20 points in 17 games, had 10-plus rebounds in eight games and finished with eight double-doubles.

She was never better than she was against Maryland in the first round of the NCAA Tournament. Iowa State wiped out a 20-point deficit to win 93-86 with Crooks leading the way. She recorded the fourth 40-point game in program history, going 18 of 20 to join Bill Walton of UCLA in 1973 to score at least 40 points while shooting 90% or better in a tournament game. Crooks also matched Brittney Griner’s Big 12-best point total in a tournament game.

That performance, by a freshman out of small-town Iowa, brought more fan and media attention than Fennelly would have imagined.

“Her world changed when we played Maryland,” Fennelly said. “That weekend, her life changed probably forever. I didn’t anticipate it. I probably should have in the modern world we’re in in collegiate sports.”

Not all the attention has been positive. Crooks has been a frequent target for abuse about her physical build.

Crooks has long steeled herself against mean tweets. She said she was bullied growing up because of her size, and she tries to tune out the nasty comments.

“It doesn’t matter what you do in life, there’s always going to be somebody that’s telling you can’t or you shouldn’t or you don’t look the part,” she said. “Just kind of got to take the high road with it. End of the day, if they want to comment, you’re watching me. You turned your TV on to watch me play so you could say something mean. That’s awesome. I love it. Thank you for your viewership. That’s how I view it.”

Fennelly and her teammates said fans are drawn to Crooks, a self-described people person who often gets stopped for a picture or chat when she goes out with friends and family. With record-setting Iowa Hawkeyes star Caitlin Clark having left for WNBA stardom, Crooks is in line to take over as most popular women’s athlete in the state, if she hasn’t already.

“I can tell you I don’t know if I ever have been around someone more ready to handle it,” Fennelly said. “Her personality, the way she goes about her business… the way she handles her postgame press conferences, the way she handles everything. She’s ready for whatever, and I think she understands who she is and what she means to our state and what she means to our program.”