What’s next for Audi Crooks? Iowa State star noncommittal about future after first-round NCAA Tournament loss
When the bracket for the 2026 NCAA women’s basketball tournament was revealed, everyone was looking at a possible second-round matchup between No. 1 seed UConn and No. 9 seed Iowa State, led by All-American center Audi Crooks.
Crooks did everything in his power to make this happen. She scored 37 points on 17-of-25 shooting from the field, accounting for more than half of her team’s points in a 72-63 loss to No. 8 seed Syracuse. For his career, Crooks now averages 28.4 points on 60 percent shooting in the NCAA tournament, but the Cyclones fell short in the first weekend since he arrived on campus.
After another early exit and frustrating season in Ames, what’s next for Crooks, who has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining?
No answers on Iowa State’s future
After Iowa State’s loss on Saturday, Crooks was asked if she planned to return to the Cyclones next season. She refused to answer.
“We’re still processing everything,” Crooks said. “Just being there for each other right now is the priority. That’s the main thing, making sure everyone’s okay.”
This wasn’t the first time Crooks refused to address his future with Iowa State. Earlier this month, ESPN published a lengthy article about Crooks and his sometimes difficult journey to stardom. When asked if she wanted to play at Iowa State next season, Crooks did not respond.
It’s certainly possible that Crooks will return. She’s from a small town called Algona, located just a few hours from Ames, and has deep roots in Iowa. However, if she was 100% committed to Iowa State, she would have said that instead of repeatedly avoiding the topic.
More likely to transfer than to become a professional
If Crooks decides to leave Iowa State, she has several options.
Even though she just finished her junior season, she can leave school early and enter the 2026 WNBA Draft. National prospects must be 22 years old in the year the draft takes place to be eligible, and Crooks will turn 22 on December 13. However, there is no indication that she plans to come forward sooner. In fact, she told ESPN that she wants to finish her degree.
If Crooks wants to transfer, she will surely have many teams interested and could land a sizable NIL deal. She had four 40-point games this season and averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds on 64.9% shooting.
His size and post skills make him a nightmare for opponents. Play it straight and it will dominate. She scored a stunning 1.238 points per possession in post-ups this season. Double it and you’ll give up countless open 3s. It would be fascinating to see Crooks play on a better team with more perimeter options that could punish teams that double team her.
What are Crooks’ WNBA prospects?
Crooks is a fascinating prospect.
She is one of the most skilled and physically dominant post players college basketball has ever seen. He’s also an undersized center (6-foot-3) with serious athleticism issues who can be a defensive liability. There’s no real comparison to fall back on for how the Crooks can perform in the pros. We have never seen a player like her.
It’s reasonable to be low on Crooks’ WNBA prospects, especially as old-school, back-to-the-basket bigs are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Last season, only one WNBA team averaged 10 or more possessions per game (Atlanta Dream, 10.7), and six averaged fewer than five.
Crooks will have a chance, though, especially if she ends up transferring to a bigger program and continues to post the same level of production. Additionally, with the addition of two expansion teams this year, there are now 15 teams in the WNBA – by 2030, there will be 18 – and each of them has two new developmental player spots thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, which takes effect this season.
