Iowa State’s Audi Crooks is a velveteen unicorn – and March’s biggest matchup problem | College basketball
TThe basketball gods really have a soft spot for Iowa. First came Caitlin Clark of the University of Iowa, a sensation that made headlines and sparked cultural debates. Now, the state’s other major college program, Iowa State, is fortunate to host Audi Crooks – a bolt from the blue in itself.
Where Clark dazzled the masses with Moon Ball shots and moxie off the dribble, Crooks is the kind of talent that makes other players of stature sit up and take notice, the junior center with feel beyond his years. A 6-foot-3 ballast in the paint, Crooks belongs to a protected class of hoops, the velvet giants — post players who win as much by touch as by brute force.
In the early 2000s, Troy Jackson — a 6-foot-10, 375-pound streetball legend who performed under the stage name “Escalade” — lit up And1 Mixtape crowds with his buttery shoulder rolls and no-look passes. Two years ago, the 6-foot-9, 275-pound DJ Burns Jr. was the darling of the men’s NCAA tournament, his comeback drive carrying North Carolina State to its first Final Four since 1983. In fact, his biggest admirer was none other than the once-roly-poly Nikola Jokić – the big man head and shoulders above the rest.
But women’s soccer has never seen a figure like Crooks, a bulldozing ballerina who fans have taken to calling “Baby Shaq.” The powerhouse of the Cyclones, Crooks averages more than 25 points per game while making two-thirds of her shots from the field – an efficiency that makes her virtually impossible to defend. Place her in front of the low block, and she will catch up and finish. Defend her straight and she’ll fight her way to the hoop. Push her further and she’ll splash on sweaters all day long, no matter which direction she faces. Send her extra bodies, and she’ll either kick the ball to an open teammate or make the one marking her regret their life choices.
Four months ago, when Iowa State hosted Valparaiso, the Beacons threw the kitchen sink at Crooks — and it still ended with the Cyclones blowing out 97-50, with Crooks scoring a career-high 43 points in 20 minutes to shatter a 41-year-old school record. Two and a half weeks later, she dropped 47 points in an 11-point win over Indiana, missing just eight shots combined from the field and the free throw line.
“He’s a monster,” former NBA All-Star Jeff Teague said after Crooks scored 41 points in 30 minutes in Iowa State’s conference opener against Kansas, sympathizing with the Jayhawks defender who lured Crooks into single coverage and spent most of the game dodging his elbows. “His sternum [must be more] bruised as an asshole. Get well.” Against Iowa last December, Crooks scored 30 points – the last on a free throw with 15 seconds remaining – to secure her first career victory against arch-rival Iowa State.
Crooks come naturally from the clutch gene. Born to high school basketball legends in north-central Algona, Iowa (population: 5,500), she’s been on an escape trajectory since arriving in Ames as a scout for players once dismissed because they came from a small town and dominated undersized high school competition. At Bishop Garrigan High — where her mother, Michelle, looms large in the basketball record books — Crooks excelled not only on the hardwood, leading the Golden Bears to back-to-back state titles, but also in volleyball, track and field and throwing, and even in the school orchestra, where she played the trumpet and drums.
Crooks wears the number 55 to honor his parents, who both had the same numbers in their day. His father, who died in 2021 at the age of 55 from complications related to diabetes, is a major source of inspiration. “Every time he was at one of my sporting events, I knew because I could hear him,” she recently told ESPN. “He probably had the biggest influence in my life when it came to basketball.”
In his NCAA Tournament debut two years ago, Crooks scored 40 points with just two missed shots to help rally Iowa State past Maryland in one of the greatest comebacks in March Madness history. As a sophomore, Crooks shattered Iowa State’s single-season scoring record, shooting 75 percent or better in six games. Crooks’ brilliance is a big reason why Iowa State has become a trendy deep tournament pick. But so far, the 21-year-old has struggled to push the Cyclones beyond the second round.
This season, Crooks’ silky explosions have propelled Iowa State to a 14-0 start. But then, as Iowa State began to look like Final Four shoo-ins and Crooks appeared to have one hand on college basketball’s Naismith Award (given to the nation’s best player), the Cyclones lost steam. After throttling Houston for its 14th win and a season-high 10th place finish in the AP Poll, Iowa State lost five straight games, and two of its last three, to finish the regular season 22-8.
Earlier this month, a nine-point upset loss to Arizona knocked Iowa State out of the Big 12 tournament in the first round. Much of the slide can be attributed to the loss of do-it-all forward Addy Brown — who helped fuel the Cyclones’ offense with Crooks and transfer point guard Jada Williams until a lower-body injury sidelined her for 11 games. Iowa State was further criticized for stacking its early season schedule with overmatched opponents. But ultimately, the blame for the collapse lies with Crooks.
The dramatic crisis opened just enough light for critics to highlight recurring errors in Crooks’ defensive efforts – “Halfway Crooks,” to borrow a phrase from the infamous Mobb Deep; even though she ranks among the best rebounders and shot blockers in the country. The crisis prompted greater scrutiny of Crooks’ physique, a problem that followed her throughout her athletic career.
Women’s college teams don’t list players’ weights on official rosters, as much out of deference to the Emily Post-inspired label as out of an obligation to protect players from misogynistic abuse. Alas, that hasn’t stopped online speculation about Crooks’ height. But like the defenses collapsing on her in the paint, Crooks refuses to let the keyboards throw her off balance. “No one can devalue my game, so they come after me personally,” she told ESPN. “This body has helped me so far in life and it allows me to do what I do on the court. People who criticize me for that certainly couldn’t stop me in the paint.”
With the Hawkeyes still atop the AP rankings two years after Clark turned pro, Crooks has a chance to build his own legacy as Iowa’s new standard-bearer against a brutal 2026 tournament headlined by South Carolina, LSU and yet another Connecticut team racking up wins in a march to title defense. Whether this Audi makes it to a ring will depend on seeding, inner strength and that sweet, velvety touch, of course.
As for those who still doubt his place in this game? They would do well to remember the basketball gods’ habit of smiling down on the biggest and boldest.
