Hines: Audi Crooks' star rising at the right time for Iowa State women's basketball

Hines: Audi Crooks’ star rising at the right time for Iowa State women’s basketball

Posted by Admin October 22, 2024 Basketball

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AMES – If nothing else, Audi Crooks has a talent for timing.

Yes, the All-American for Iowa State women’s basketball is an incredible basketball player. Among the best in the country, actually. So I suppose her talent isn’t limited to doing the right thing at the right place at the right time. But, even with her basketball chops, it’s going to be hard to top her timing.

Crooks had an excellent freshman season for the Cyclones, earning all-Big 12 honors while averaging 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. But when the nation was watching and the opportunity most ripe, Crooks was at her best.

The 6-foot-3 center was unstoppable in the NCAA Tournament opener against Maryland, tallying 40 points on 18-of-20 shooting to help the Cyclones come from 20 behind to defeat the Terrapins.

It unleashed a torrent of publicity and recognition for the Algona native, who suddenly was thrust into the forefront of the burgeoning interest in women’s basketball in America.

More: Join Travis Hines’ Cyclone Insider text-messaging group for behind-the-scenes access

“That,” Crooks reflected earlier this month, “was something I never really anticipated.

“You dream of March Madness and being in that tournament, let alone performing well and having the spotlight on you. I couldn’t even put that into words what that meant. It was a lot to process because I didn’t anticipate me playing over 10 or 15 minutes my first year.”

More: Iowa State women’s basketball star Audi Crooks could be one of the faces of college hoops

Now, back to Crooks’ timing.

Because it extends far beyond putting a 40-piece on Maryland for the entire country to enjoy.

Crooks has the chance to become a women’s collegiate basketball superstar in a way and to an extent that literally did not exist just 24 months ago.

It’s a perfect storm of variables that have carved out this new place across the sports and culture landscape, but one, in particular, deserves special mention.

“The space Caitlin created was pretty damn big,” Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly said. “Really big, as we all know.”

Caitlin, of course, is Caitlin Clark. The West Des Moines native who changed the world over in Iowa City with a basketball mastery that captured the country’s attention like few athletes regardless of gender or sport ever have.

Clark has moved on to the WNBA, but the increased interest she authored in the college game remains. So, too, does the role of Face of the Sport.

“There is a void,” Fennelly, now in his 30th season guiding Iowa State, said. “I don’t know that anyone is going to duplicate what Caitlin did for our sport and for our state, but there’s no question the (people will look for) the next Caitlin Clark.

“It’s there. Anyone who denies that, you’re kidding yourself. Because we are looking for it.”

JuJu Watkins could be it. She scores a ton, and her campus at USC isn’t far from the “Hollywood” sign. Paige Bueckers of UConn has been a star in the sport for years. She boasts an East Coast presence at a powerhouse program less than an hour’s drive from ESPN’s headquarters.

But Crooks boasts a dominating style from the center position. She’s from the heartland of the country. And if you’re looking for the Next Caitlin Clark, sharing a home state isn’t a bad place to start.

“These past couple years, there’s a lot of attention on us,” Crooks said, “and there’s a lot of attention to be grabbed.”

Which is the other part of this equation.

While Clark’s supernova presence exploded the popularity of the sport, it coincides with the opportunity provided by NIL (name, image, likeness) to simply be everywhere all at once.

You’re not going to just see Audi Crooks when you turn on Iowa State basketball this winter.

Her face – on a billboard above the escalator down from the concourse – is among the first travelers to Des Moines see at the airport. She was part of a cell phone advertising campaign. She’s got her own signature cookie at a local grocer.

Crooks will be a star because of her basketball talent, but she’ll be a cultural presence because of marketability.

“That’s the biggest thing – the visibility,” Fennelly said. “There’s a financial component to it. We all know that.

“But especially in our state and especially the interest level and the ability to showcase her as a person, there’s a lot of places.”

Crooks’ appeal to advertisers goes beyond her game. Her personality so often shines through on the court with her smiles coming as frequently as her buckets. She’s authentic, and vulnerable – choosing to share after that Maryland game about her moment of remembrance before every game for the father she lost in 2021.

“I just try to kind of take a second and ground myself and tap into my spiritual side and just know that everything’s going to be OK,” Crooks said from the dais at the NCAA Tournament “He’s got the best seat in the house.”

The dynamic game. The magnetic personality. The big heart.

And to bring them all to the table at the exact moment when they’re increasingly valuable and most in demand.

Crooks would be a star in any era, but, I gotta say, that’s some great timing.

Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.