What's next for Audi Crooks? Iowa State star noncommittal about future after first-round NCAA Tournament loss

When the bracket for the 2026 NCAA Women's Basketball Tournament was revealed, everyone was eyeing a potential second-round matchup between No. 1 overall seed UConn and No. 9 seed Iowa State, led by All-American center Audi Crooks. 

Crooks did everything in her power to make that happen. She poured in 37 points on 17 of 25 from the field, accounting for more than half of her team's points in a 72-63 loss to No. 8 seed Syracuse. For her career, Crooks is now averaging 28.4 points on 60% shooting in the NCAA Tournament, but the Cyclones have failed to make it past the first weekend since she arrived on campus. 

After another early exit, and a frustrating season in Ames, what's next for Crooks, who has one season of collegiate eligibility remaining?

No answer on Iowa State future

Following Iowa State's loss on Saturday, Crooks was asked if she planned to be back with the Cyclones next season. She declined to answer. 

"We're still processing everything," Crooks said. "Just being there for each other right now is the priority. That's the main thing, making sure everyone is OK."

That was not the first time that Crooks refused to address her future with Iowa State. Earlier this month, ESPN published a lengthy feature on Crooks and her, at times, difficult journey to stardom. When asked if she wanted to play at Iowa State next season, Crooks didn't answer. 

It's certainly possible that Crooks comes back. She's from a small town called Algona, which is just a few hours from Ames, and has deep roots in Iowa. However, if she was 100% committed to Iowa State she would have said so instead of avoiding the topic multiple times. 

Transfer more likely than turning pro

If Crooks decides to leave Iowa State, she has multiple options. 

Though she just finished her junior season, she is eligible to leave school early and declare for the 2026 WNBA Draft. Domestic prospects need to turn 22 in the year in which the draft takes place in order to be eligible, and Crooks will turn 22 on Dec. 13. However, there has been no indication that she plans to declare early. In fact, she told ESPN that she wants to finish college. 

If Crooks wants to transfer, she'll surely have plenty of interested teams and could command a significant NIL deal. She had four 40-point games this season and averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds on 64.9% shooting. 

Her size and post skills make her a matchup nightmare for opponents. Play her straight up, and she'll dominate. She scored a stunning 1.238 points per possession on post-ups this season. Double her and you'll give up countless open 3s. It would be fascinating to see Crooks play on a better team with more perimeter options who could punish teams for doubling her. 

What are Crooks' WNBA prospects?

Crooks is a fascinating prospect. 

She is one of the most skilled and physically dominant post players college basketball has ever seen. She's also an undersized center (6-foot-3) with serious athleticism concerns who can be a defensive liability. There is no true comparison to draw on for how Crooks may fare in the pros. We've never seen a player like her. 

It's reasonable to be low on Crooks' WNBA prospects, especially as old-school, back-to-the-basket bigs are quickly becoming a thing of the past. Last season, only WNBA one team averaged 10 or more post-up possessions per game (Atlanta Dream, 10.7), and six averaged fewer than five. 

Crooks is going to get a chance, though, especially if she ends up transferring to a bigger program and continues to put up the same level of production. Plus, with the addition of two expansion teams this year, there are now 15 teams in the WNBA -- by 2030 there will be 18 teams -- and all of them have two new developmental player spots thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, which will go into effect this season.