What is Audi Crooks ethnicity? Taking a closer look at Iowa State center's nationality and background

Iowa State center Audi Crooks announced herself to the world in a big way Friday night. Her 40-point effort led the Cyclones' epic comeback from a 20-point deficit to beat the Maryland Terrapins 93-86 in their first-round clash. The multi-talented star, who also participated in track & field and volleyball in high school, has become a household name even though her team was knocked out by Cameron Brink's Stanford Cardinal in the second round.

What is Audi Crooks' ethnicity and nationality?

Audi Crooks is the daughter of Jimmie Crooks, who was black, and Michelle Cook, who is white, both standout basketball players. Crooks is American by nationality and is ethnically mixed-race.

Her mother played basketball for Bishop Garrigan and is one of the top scorers in their history. The Algona, Iowa native played against her mum in the driveway of their home while growing up, and she credited that education for her toughness.

"She's (Michelle Cook) a competitor, that's where I get my competitive edge from," Crooks said. "So, she's throwing elbows at me. I mean, she's not taking it easy."

Jimmie Crooks, meanwhile, played basketball at Fort Dodge Senior High School before playing college basketball for Mankato State and Southern Nazarene University.

Audi revealed that she wears jersey No. 55 to honor the legacy of her basketball-playing family.

"My dad was number 55 and my mom was number 55," Crooks said. "Growing up, as I started to emerge in middle school and high school, they ask, 'What number do you want?' It was an easy answer for me. Fifty-five."

Jimmie Crooks died in 2021 at the age of 55 when Audi Crooks was 16 years old.

After her phenomenal game against the Maryland Terrapins, Audi Crooks revealed why she prays before games and why her ritual involves her father.

"Before every game, I just try to take a moment and I pray and kind of seeking guidance from my father, he passed away when I was 16 in 2021," Crooks said. "So I just try to kinda take a second and ground myself and tap into my spiritual side and just know that everything's going to be OK and he's got the best seat in the house."

With the Iowa Hawkeyes' record-breaker Caitlin Clark and Stanford Cardinal's Cameron Brink leaving for the WNBA, Audi Crooks has the chance to establish herself as one of the faces of women's college basketball.