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The NCAA Division I Women's Basketball Tournament is the perfect opportunity for an athlete to highlight their talent on the court.
In a star-studded field boasting the likes of Angel Reese, Caitlin Clark, Kamilla Cadroso, JuJu Watkins, one freshman - Audi Crooks - is trying to cement her place as well.
The Iowa State Cyclones sensation arrived on the national scene with a bang, leading her team to a 20-point comeback victory over Maryland thanks to a 40-point, 12-rebound effort. With her stock rising, many are wondering about the latest sensation to take over women's college basketball.
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Audi Crooks, the lady who tied Bill Walton
For the season, Crooks is averaging 18.9 points and 7.7 rebounds, shooting 56.5% from the field and 33.3% from the 3-point range for an Iowa State team that finished as the seventh seed in the NCAA bracket with a 21-11 record.
Against the 10th-seeded Maryland, her 40 points came on an unbelievable 18-of-20 shooting. That tied Bill Walton, who did it more than five decades ago, in 1973, as the only player to score over 40 points while shooting at least 90% in an NCAA Tournament game.
Her 40-point outing was the most for any freshman in tournament history and the fourth-best by an Iowa State lady.
Audi Crooks before Iowa State
The career trajectory of Audi Crooks began when she attended BishopGarrigan High School in Algona, Iowa, where she was a standout athlete.
Taking part in shot put, she won state titles in three consecutive years, starting with her sophomore season. Multi-talented, Audi was also on the volleyball team, where she earned first-team all-conference honors as a junior.
Her basketball career for Bishop Garrigan was on another level. In her freshman season, she led the team to a 25-2 record while breaking state freshman records for both points and field goals. Earning Class 1A Player of the Year and first-team all-state honors, her career was off to a remarkable start.
She returned even better in her sophomore season, upping her scoring average to 20.7 points a night while becoming a defensive specialist with four blocks a night.
The most jarring stat for her year was the 70.4 field goal % she boasted on the year, earning a second-straight selection to the first-team all-state.
Once again showing improvement, Audi Crooks reached 23.5 points and 12.5 rebounds on the year, continuing to showcase her defensive talent by adding 3.3 blocks each game while upping her efficiency to 72.2%.
After back-to-back defeats in the state title game, Crooks won the state title, breaking the tournament's all-time rebounding record in the process.
Her senior year is when she took another almighty jump. Increasing her scoring average to 32.9 points a game, she broke the single-season state record, with an unreal 75.2% mark.
She earned a fourth-straight First-team All-State selection. In the postseason, she was equally as dominant.
She broke the tournament's single-game scoring record twice, recording 42 in the quarterfinals, before dropping 49 in the Finals to avenge her two initial losses to Newell-Fonda.
She ended as the all-time leader in points and rebounds for the tournament, both singular and career.
Audi Crooks' unique pre-game ritual for her father
Born to an athletic family, Audi Crooks is the daughter of Jimmie Crooks, who was a star basketball player for Fort Dodge Senior High School before taking his talents to Mankato State and Southern Nazarene.
Audi's mother, Michelle Cook, was also a phenomenal basketball talent and was one of the all-time leading scorers for the Bishop Garrigan team.
Her uncle, too, is heavily involved with the sporting world. Matt Vitzthum serves as the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for Grand Valley State.
Unfortunately, Audi's father, Jimmie Crooks, died in 2021, when she was just 16. In a post-game interview after her NCAA Tournament exploits, an emotion Crooks revealed her unique tradition to honor him.
"Before I start a game, I just try to take a moment, and I pray, and I am kinda seeking guidance from my father. He passed away when I was 16 in 2021.
"So, I just try to take a second, ground myself, tap into my spiritual side and just know that he's got the best seat in the house."
The 18-year-old is off to a dream start to her career. Can she build on it to become a legend?
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