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One of the best players in women’s college basketball is unsure about where she’ll finish her career next season.
All-American center Audi Crooks, a junior at Iowa State, told the Des Moines Register — part of the USA TODAY Network — on March 25 that she hasn’t decided if she’ll be with the Cyclones for her senior season.
Two of Crooks’ teammates have already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Starting forward Addy Brown announced her intentions to transfer on Tuesday, while starting point guard Jada Williams announced she would transfer just hours after Crooks spoke to the Des Moines Register.
Should Crooks decide to transfer, she would be one of the best players available on the open market in the sport. The 6-foot-3 native of Algona, Iowa, ranked second nationally in scoring this season with 25.8 points per game. She also had the second-best field goal percentage in the country with a 64.9% shooting mark, excelling at making shots from inside the paint.
Crooks also averaged 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She ranked fourth in PER (41.8), eighth in offensive win shares (5.1) and fourth in points per scoring attempt (1.35). Across 99 games for the Cyclones, she has scored more than 40 points five times. One of those performances came in March Madness two years ago, when she set the tournament scoring record by a freshman with 40 points in a win over Maryland.
But in three seasons at Iowa State, Crooks has yet to play in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones were eliminated by Syracuse in the first round this year, losing 72-63 despite 37 points from Crooks.
Crooks was a second team selection to the USA TODAY Sports All-American team this season and for a while was making the case for the National Player of the Year award. Iowa State started the season off on a 14-game winning streak and rose to a top 10 ranking in the national polls behind Crooks’ eye-popping scoring totals. The Cyclones then endured a five-game losing streak and finished the season with a 22-10 record in Bill Fennelly’s 31st season at the helm.
One of the most marketable players in the sport, Crooks also has NIL deals with Allstate, T-Mobile and Unrivaled. She also played with Team USA last summer in the AmeriCup, where the Americans won the gold medal to qualify for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
After losing to Syracuse, Crooks and Williams were asked if they plan to be back with Iowa State next season. Crooks was noncommittal.
“Yeah, we're all still processing everything and just being there for each other right now is the priority,” Crooks said. “That's the main thing, making sure everybody is mentally OK through this tough time.”
The transfer portal for women’s basketball will officially open the day after the national championship game, on Monday, April 6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Audi Crooks return to Iowa State or enter transfer portal?
Continue reading...
All-American center Audi Crooks, a junior at Iowa State, told the Des Moines Register — part of the USA TODAY Network — on March 25 that she hasn’t decided if she’ll be with the Cyclones for her senior season.
Two of Crooks’ teammates have already announced their intentions to enter the transfer portal. Starting forward Addy Brown announced her intentions to transfer on Tuesday, while starting point guard Jada Williams announced she would transfer just hours after Crooks spoke to the Des Moines Register.
Should Crooks decide to transfer, she would be one of the best players available on the open market in the sport. The 6-foot-3 native of Algona, Iowa, ranked second nationally in scoring this season with 25.8 points per game. She also had the second-best field goal percentage in the country with a 64.9% shooting mark, excelling at making shots from inside the paint.
Crooks also averaged 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. She ranked fourth in PER (41.8), eighth in offensive win shares (5.1) and fourth in points per scoring attempt (1.35). Across 99 games for the Cyclones, she has scored more than 40 points five times. One of those performances came in March Madness two years ago, when she set the tournament scoring record by a freshman with 40 points in a win over Maryland.
But in three seasons at Iowa State, Crooks has yet to play in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones were eliminated by Syracuse in the first round this year, losing 72-63 despite 37 points from Crooks.
Crooks was a second team selection to the USA TODAY Sports All-American team this season and for a while was making the case for the National Player of the Year award. Iowa State started the season off on a 14-game winning streak and rose to a top 10 ranking in the national polls behind Crooks’ eye-popping scoring totals. The Cyclones then endured a five-game losing streak and finished the season with a 22-10 record in Bill Fennelly’s 31st season at the helm.
One of the most marketable players in the sport, Crooks also has NIL deals with Allstate, T-Mobile and Unrivaled. She also played with Team USA last summer in the AmeriCup, where the Americans won the gold medal to qualify for the upcoming FIBA World Cup.
After losing to Syracuse, Crooks and Williams were asked if they plan to be back with Iowa State next season. Crooks was noncommittal.
“Yeah, we're all still processing everything and just being there for each other right now is the priority,” Crooks said. “That's the main thing, making sure everybody is mentally OK through this tough time.”
The transfer portal for women’s basketball will officially open the day after the national championship game, on Monday, April 6.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will Audi Crooks return to Iowa State or enter transfer portal?
Continue reading...
