Audi Crooks deserves a spot in the Player of the Year conversation

One of the best matchups in women’s basketball went down this week: Iowa State vs. Iowa, at Iowa State’s home arena. The Cy-Hawk series, as these games are known, brought No. 10 Iowa State and No. 11 Iowa together for a game that had more stakes than it has in many years.

Both teams came into this game undefeated, and it was pretty clear that whoever won would not only remain undefeated and break their rivals’ streak, but also secure their top-10 ranking next week. It was also the toughest competition either team has faced so far this season.

It was a fantastic, thrilling game as Iowa State stayed in the lead for most of the game, but Iowa never made them feel truly comfortable. After going into halftime tied up, a run led Iowa State to gain a double-digit point lead in the third quarter, but Iowa came back within a possession in the final minutes of the game. It took a couple of tough defensive possessions in the final minutes for Iowa State to secure the win on home court, a 75-69 victory over the Hawkeyes, bringing their season record to 10-0.

One of the most impactful pieces to Iowa State’s success this season has been Audi Crooks. The junior is averaging 27.8 points per game through the Cyclones’ 10 matches, leading the country in scoring. Impressively, she is also doing this in only 25.7 minutes per game.

Crooks scored 30 points and grabbed 10 rebounds in the win over Iowa, making it her third consecutive 30+ point game. She also has two 40-point games this season, scoring 47 points against Indiana and 43 points against Valparaiso. She ties Baylor’s Taliah Scott for the highest win shares in the nation, a stat that measures a player’s contributions on the offensive and defensive ends.

While the conversation around Player of the Year candidates doesn’t usually ramp up until the new year, Crooks should definitely be on the short list. Iowa State’s dominance flows through Crooks, and she’s expanded several parts of her game through her 2.5 seasons at Iowa State to become a more well-rounded player. Known for her dominance under the basket as a rebounder, roller, and finisher, Crooks knows she needs to expand her bag if she is going to compete with the top teams in the country, but also separate herself as a top WNBA prospect when draft time comes.

One of the things she’s done is stretch her shooting range a big to be able to operate outside of the paint. Her height and strength are both already hard to match, but when she stretches the floor and is able to make shots a little further from the basket, her game shines. In particular, she displayed a fadeaway jumper on the baseline in the game versus Iowa that was incredibly impressive, and almost A’ja Wilson-like.

Still a junior with another year to develop after this one, Crooks is rising at the perfect time. Iowa State has a real shot at making a splash in the Big-12 conference this season, and could cause an upset come March against a team that might not expect Crooks to pack the same punch on offense that she did against Iowa.

When it comes to the Player of the Year conversation, she definitely stacks up well against other candidates like Sarah Strong, Azzi Fudd, Lauren Betts and more. She’s scoring more than all of them, doing it in fewer minutes, and her team is still undefeated. Don’t sleep on Audi Crooks.