ALGONA – Iowa State girls’s basketball participant Audi Crooks has simply completed taking a gaggle photograph with volunteers and members at her July 22 camp at Bishop Garrigan Excessive College. However earlier than departing for the day, Crooks asks everybody there a fast query.
“Who desires an autograph?” Crooks asks.
The phrases are barely out of her mouth and an extended line of youngsters gathers close to Crooks, holding out basketballs, photos, shirts and even a shoe for her to signal. Crooks, even after two periods of the camp, makes certain to autograph each merchandise for each particular person.
“It simply makes me grateful,” Crooks stated.
Crooks has quite a bit to be grateful for lately. The sophomore-to-be at Iowa State is already a star in girls’s faculty basketball. After a scintillating freshman season with the Cyclones, many count on her to change into one of many faces of the sport in 2024-25.
“She’s going to be a kind of gamers that we’re all simply tremendous excited to develop with and have a watch on,” ESPN girls’s basketball broadcaster Ryan Ruocco stated. “And clearly she’s simply initially of her faculty journey.”
Crooks who has been a star of kinds round her hometown of Algona for years. However with one other large season, Crooks’ inventory might soar, making her a family identify throughout the nation.
“No one’s shocked round right here as a result of we have watched it for years,” stated Bishop Garrigan women basketball coach Brandon Schwab. “It is perhaps new to any person else however that is Audi to us.”
Crooks’ fame rises in Algona
The eye started earlier than Crooks even received to highschool. However not in a great way. Crooks, who was at all times greater than many of the youngsters her age, was bullied whereas she was rising up. Different youngsters teased her about her measurement and the way she did not appear like them. She was even picked final for an exercise in bodily training class.
“You understand how youngsters are,” Crooks stated. “Should you’re totally different, then they’re going to level that out.”
Crooks tried to embrace trying in another way. And when she received to fourth grade and noticed her peak take off with a development spurt, she was decided to benefit of it. Together with her measurement and power, Crooks might tower over opponents on the basketball courtroom and again them into the publish.
As her basketball abilities shined, the teasing stopped and the worshipping started. Crooks did not wish to let her skillset go to waste. She began by capturing hoops within the driveway along with her mother, Michelle Cook dinner, a standout highschool basketball participant again in her day as effectively. Ultimately, she moved to the Bishop Garrigan health club.
Crooks confirmed as much as the health club virtually every day. From eighth grade on, Schwab stated he can solely recall a number of days that Crooks took a break day, even asking for the keys one Thanksgiving Day. She spent hours there, honing her abilities by doing drills, engaged on her strikes within the publish or capturing free throws.
It made her right into a star on and off the courtroom. Crooks was a standout on the membership circuit, enjoying for C.Y. Choose. She acquired scholarship affords earlier than she even began highschool (from Illinois State and Northern Iowa). Extra affords rapidly poured in.
When Crooks received to highschool, the highlight shined even brighter. She acquired autograph requests and fan mail. Followers flocked to gyms to see her. When she visited Cinco de Mayo, her favourite restaurant on the town, Crooks generally did not should pay for a meal.
Garrigan’s health club, which had a capability of round 1,100, was always full for her video games. It received so packed that one night time, Schwab stated coaches from Iowa, Iowa State, Maryland, Arizona and Minnesota needed to stand underneath the basket to look at the sport.
“It would be a Tuesday night time and there could be standing room solely,” Schwab stated.
Crooks had all of it. She was energetic, vibrant and pleased. She threw the shot put, marched within the band, sang within the choir and performed volleyball. However basketball introduced out the most effective in her. She smiled after makes, celebrated large moments along with her teammates and cheered on victories for Bishop Garrigan.
That bubbly character is a part of what drew followers to her. Basketball appeared to deliver it out much more.
“She simply loves it (basketball),” Cook dinner stated. “She simply likes to see her work repay as a result of it is quite a lot of work for her. It is quite a lot of sacrifice.”
Crooks guided Bishop Garrigan to 4 journeys to the state title sport. They received the ultimate two. Over the past sport of her profession, Crooks set an all-class state-tournament file with 49 factors within the Class 1A championship sport in 2023.
She was about to change into greater than a hometown hero, although.
“Audi Crooks is my favourite participant in basketball”
Ruocco was calling final season’s Cy-Hawk basketball sport for ESPN when he received a textual content message from Jeff Van Gundy, a former NBA coach and basketball analyst. Crooks, who was nonetheless early in her faculty profession, was having a breakout efficiency, tallying 15 factors and 10 rebounds in a loss to the Hawkeyes.
“Audi Crooks is my favourite participant in basketball,” Van Gundy wrote.
That is when Ruocco realized Iowa State had one thing particular in Crooks.
“I believed that is a fairly good signal that her following is simply rising,” Ruocco stated.
Crooks steadily earned extra enjoying time early within the season, finally turning into the point of interest of the offense. Crooks averaged a team-high 19.2 factors and seven.8 rebounds per sport as a freshman.
Iowa State was one of many shock tales in all of faculty basketball. The Cyclones, who had misplaced a lot of their roster to the switch portal in the course of the offseason, went to the Massive 12 Convention Event title sport and earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Event.
Crooks was an enormous purpose for Iowa State’s success. She turned a fan favourite in Ames and a star in her new hometown. Massive 12 commissioner Brett Yormark went out of his strategy to converse with Crooks about how a lot he appreciated her sport after sitting courtside for her Massive 12 Event semifinals efficiency (25 factors, 9 rebounds in victory over Oklahoma).
Crooks’ identify went viral when she tallied 40 factors in a win over Maryland within the first spherical of the NCAA Event. WNBA star Aliya Boston raved on social media about Crooks’ efficiency. NBA star LeBron James gave her a shoutout in a while.
Crooks abruptly was studying what it is wish to be within the nationwide highlight.
“Lots of people noticed that simply because it’s such an enormous stage,” Crooks stated.
Eye-popping stats aren’t the one factor that makes Crooks so in style, although. Ruocco stated the type she performs with, as a dominant publish participant, will get individuals keen on her. How she does it − with a joyful character − retains them watching.
Former Iowa star Caitlin Clark had her swagger. Crooks has her smile.
“I feel the truth that she performs with this infectious power and confidence in who’s is, I feel that attracts individuals in,” Ruocco stated.
Though Iowa State fell a sport in need of the Candy 16, the highly effective efficiency set the stage for an offseason stuffed with consideration for Crooks. She will be able to not go to the mall with out being acknowledged. She was stopped by staff throughout a visit to Scheel’s in Sioux Metropolis. Crooks was even acknowledged throughout a visit to an out-of-state seashore.
Crooks’ fame has led to NIL (identify, picture and likeness) revenue and endorsements. She has inked offers with Topps, Fareway Shops, the Iowa State Ebook Retailer and Kenma Auto Middle.
Proprietor Carey Kenma stated one go to to a Kenma dealership introduced round 500 guests. One other had near 200. One of many guests was a younger boy from Newell-Fonda, considered one of Crooks’ highschool rival faculties. He introduced roses for her.
Kenma stated he wished to strike a take care of Crooks early on, earlier than the iron actually will get scorching.
“This lady is only a nice particular person, and it was the person who she is that attracted me to her, not her basketball abilities,” Kenma stated. “Her basketball abilities are simply the icing on the cake.”
What’s subsequent for Crooks? An excellent greater sophomore season, probably
Expectations are excessive for Crooks and the Cyclones in 2024-25. Iowa State brings again most of its roster from final season’s gifted crew, together with the rising star. Her summer season has been spent attempting to get even higher. Crooks stated she has labored on her 3-point capturing and protection, areas by which she expects to see vital enchancment.
It is potential that Crooks is simply scratching the floor of her potential. Extra success would imply extra stardom. Ruocco says she’s already one of many greatest names in faculty’s girls’s basketball. A deep NCAA Event run might make her a celebrity within the sport, males or girls.
Clark guided the Hawkeyes to back-to-back appearances within the nationwide title sport. Iowa’s success gave followers numerous alternatives to look at Clark on nationwide TV and observe her journey. Ruocco stated Crooks might do the identical factor.
“Your stardom solely grows when you produce and if the wins come,” he stated. “However so long as these issues come alongside, then sure, she is going to, I feel she will certainly change into a kind of family names and any person who individuals take pleasure in watching.”
Again in Algona, Crooks is as in style as ever. Her video games are routinely televised at Cinco de Mayo. When she goes dwelling and makes a go to on the restaurant, followers will routinely cease her for pictures or autographs. Her camp at the highschool was an enormous hit, with followers all through the state driving to Algona to be taught from Crooks.
Lindsey Sprecher, whose household is filled with Iowa followers, has been so impressed with Crooks that she introduced her daughter to the camp to be taught from one of many Hawkeyes’ greatest rivals.
“She’s been superior for her to look as much as,” Sprecher stated.
Crooks stated she’s prepared for the duty that comes with being a basketball icon.
“It is a terrific honor,” Crooks stated. “I carry that with quite a lot of satisfaction and I’ve simply received to ensure to maintain doing my factor.”
Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports activities enterprise and options reporter, has been working on the newspaper since 2008. He is the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Yr. Attain him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.
