Audi Crooks

Audi Crooks is an American college basketball player for the Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 Conference. She plays the center position.

Crooks attended Bishop Garrigan High School in Algona, Iowa, where she starred on the school's basketball team. She also competed on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit for CY Select Wolves. Aside from basketball, Crooks competed in track and field, winning the Class 1A state titles in both the shot put and the discus throw as a sophomore after her freshman season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. She won another state title in the shot put as a junior, breaking the Class 1A record with a throw of 45 ft 1 in. As a senior, Crooks became the first athlete in Class 1A history to win three consecutive state titles in the shot put. She also played volleyball, earning first-team all-conference honors as a junior.

Freshman season

As a freshman on the basketball team, she broke state freshman records in points scored (626) and field goals made (270) while helping Bishop Garrigan achieve a 25–2 record. Crooks also set a new school record for single-season field goal percentage (70.7), which was previously held by her mother. Crooks scored a season-high 40 points in a 73–33 win over Humboldt, shooting 17-for-23 from the field. At the Class 1A state tournament, Crooks was named team captain of the all-tournament team after averaging 25.3 points and 15 rebounds per game. Bishop Garrigan lost the title game against two-time defending champions Newell-Fonda, with Crooks recording 34 points and 17 rebounds in the defeat. She was ultimately named Class 1A Player of the Year and first-team all-state. Crooks and Molly Joyce were the first pair of freshman teammates in state history to make the all-state first-team.

Sophomore season

As a sophomore, Crooks averaged 20.7 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 4.0 blocks per game, leading the Golden Bears to another 25–2 record. She led the state in made field goals (224) while shooting 70.4 percent from the field, once again earning first-team all-state honors. Bishop Garrigan entered the state tournament as the top seed but lost to Newell-Fonda again in the final, with Crooks adding 25 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game.

Junior season

As a junior, Crooks recorded 23.5 points, 12.5 rebounds and 3.3 blocks per game while shooting 72.2 percent from the field. She also scored a school-record 44 points in a win over North Union. Crooks earned first-team all-state honors for the third consecutive year after leading Bishop Garrigan to a 25–3 record and its first-ever Class 1A state title. She recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds in the title game against MMCRU, becoming the state tournament's all-time leading rebounder in only nine games. Crooks was named the Iowa female athlete of the year by The Des Moines Register.

Senior season

As a senior, Crooks averaged 32.9 points, 13.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, and 2.8 blocks per game, breaking the single-season state scoring record while shooting 75.2 percent from the field. She was named Iowa Miss Basketball, the Des Moines Register All-Iowa Girls Basketball Player of the year, and earned first-team all-state honors for the fourth time, after leading the Bears to a 26–1 record and their second consecutive state title. In the quarterfinals of the Class 1A state tournament, Crooks tallied 42 points on 20-of-25 shooting, along with 14 rebounds and three blocks, to help beat Martensdale-St Marys, 67–44. Her 42 points broke the single-game 1A tournament scoring record, and also made her the state tournament's all-time leading scorer across all classes. Crooks recorded 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds and led Bishop Garrigan to a 73–39 blowout win over Remsen St. Mary's in the semifinals. In the championship game, a 68–57 victory over Newell-Fonda, she broke her own tournament record by scoring 49 points on 21-of-27 shooting, along with 16 rebounds and three blocks. Crooks was named team captain of the all-tournament team after she averaged 27.6 points and 13.3 rebounds per game, breaking the records for total points (117) and rebounds (45) in a single tournament. The Des Moines Register called it "the most dominant state tournament run in Iowa 5-on-5 history." Crooks also finished as the state tournament's all-time leader in points (332) and rebounds (160).

Crooks led Bishop Garrigan to an 101–8 record in her four years on the team. She finished her high school career with 2,734 points and 1,339 rebounds, finishing third all-time in state history in both categories. Crooks also set the all-time mark in field goals made (1,195) and finished second in field goal percentage (72.4).

Recruiting

Crooks was rated as a four-star recruit and was considered among the best high school prospects of the 2023 class. She was ranked as the no. 42 overall recruit by Prep Girls Hoops, as well as no. 57 by ESPN.

She received her first Division I offer from Illinois State in July 2020. By that September she had received offers from all four Division I programs in Iowa (Iowa, Iowa State, Northern Iowa, and Drake) as well as Maryland. The following year, Crooks received offers from Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, Kansas, Ole Miss, Penn State and Oklahoma. She committed to Iowa State on April 14, 2022. Crooks signed her National Letter of Intent on November 9, joining one of the highest-ranked recruiting classes in Iowa State history.

Crooks entered her freshman season as Iowa State's backup center behind Isnelle Natabou. On November 6, 2023, she made her collegiate debut, recording eight points and five rebounds in a 82–55 win over Butler. In her second game, on November 12, Crooks scored a team-high 23 points on 7-of-9 shooting in an 85–73 loss to Drake. It was the most points scored off the bench by an Iowa State player since Kidd Blaskowsky in 2014. Crooks was named a starter ahead of the Cyclones' game against Syracuse on November 25 after having averaged a team-high 16.8 points per game through the first four games of the season. In her first career start, she posted 23 points, four rebounds, and two assists on 10-of-12 shooting in an 81–69 defeat to the Orange.

Crooks comes from an athletic family. Her father, Jimmie Crooks, starred at Fort Dodge Senior High School before playing college basketball at Mankato State and Southern Nazarene. He died in 2021. Her mother, Michelle Cook, is one of the all-time leading scorers for the Bishop Garrigan basketball team. Her uncle, Matt Vitzthum, is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Grand Valley State.

Outside of sports, Crooks participated in jazz choir and played trumpet in the school band at Bishop Garrigan.