When the Iowa State women’s basketball season ended in March, rumors started swirling about Cyclones star Audi Crooks entering the transfer portal.
Crooks, one of the Big 12 Conference’s top players the last two seasons, heard those rumors and couldn’t believe some of the NIL offers that were supposedly being thrown her way.
“Lots and lots and lots of questions and speculation,” Crooks said during an appearance for the We Will Collective at Principal Park on July 14. “I’m hearing offers on Facebook that I didn’t even know I had. Somebody said something about $35 million. (I’m like) ‘Whoa, I didn’t know that was a thing.’”
The offer wasn’t real. But other teams’ interest in Crooks likely was.
Crooks quickly put an end to any worries fans may have had that she would be leaving when she announced in March that she would return to Iowa State for her junior season.
“Obviously just a lot of honest conversations, a lot of discussions,” Crooks said. “But it really wasn’t that hard of a choice, knowing the Iowa State fan base had been so loyal, so good to me and my family and welcoming me from the jump.”
The 6-foot-3 center has been one of the best post players in the country since making her collegiate debut during the 2023-24 season. Crooks led the Big 12 in scoring last season and averaged 21.4 points and 7.6 rebounds for the Cyclones during her first two seasons.
With Crooks having an instant impact in college and playing a position that is always a need for other teams, she rapidly became the subject of speculation about possibly leaving Iowa State to earn more money elsewhere.
It’s understandable that Crooks’ future was a hot topic on social media and elsewhere. Crooks is an impact player and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
Whatever money was out there didn’t matter to Crooks.
“Money is life-changing, of course, but these experiences are as well,” Crooks said. “So it was just in terms of what mattered to me more and that was an easy decision.”
Besides, she felt Iowa State had plenty to offer. Crooks said she has been floored by the support from Cyclone fans since she stepped on campus. She was also impressed by what Iowa State had coming back and what the Cyclones added.
The Cyclones also bring back versatile star Addy Brown, who ranked second on the team in scoring last season. Iowa State also returns a steady core of talent in Kenzie Hare, Syndey Harris, Arianna Jackson, Alisa Williams, Aili Tanke, Reagan Wilson and Lilly Taulelei.
The Cyclones went into the transfer portal and added guard Jada Williams and guard/forward Evangelia Paulk. All that made it even more appealing for Crooks to come back.
“Like I said, I tweeted, the grass is greener where you water it and I think that’s something that is kind of a lost art, a lost phrase,” Crooks said. “But that’s something that I very much still believe in.”
Crooks sees tons of potential that she still hasn’t tapped into. After 19.2 points per game as a freshman and then 23.3 as a sophomore, Crooks said there’s more room for growth. She said she’s spent the offseason working on her mid-range game, improving her basketball IQ and getting better on defense.
All those things could lead to an even bigger season for Crooks.
“There is no ceiling,” Crooks said. “There is no ceiling to my potential. And I think the coaches have done a good job of developing me and I’m excited to continue to get to work and to learn and grow.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468
This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State women’s basketball star Audi Crooks tells why she decided to return to Cyclones
Reporting by Tommy Birch, Des Moines Register / Des Moines Register
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