Audi Crooks is going to leave Iowa State and finish her women’s college basketball career elsewhere. Her mom alluded to the incompetence of athletic director Jamie Pollard in wake of the announcement.
She questions his lack of involvement with the athletes.
This unexpected decision to enter the transfer portal will create a massive shakeup in the landscape of women’s college basketball. It is yet another blow to the Cyclones during an era of dissatisfaction.
Audi Crooks is leaving Iowa State.
Iowa State ranked as high as No. 10 in the country after a 14-0 start to the 2025-26 season before the wheels completely fell off at the start of the new year. The Cyclones finished the regular season with nine losses, lost their first game of the Big 12 Tournament and flopped out of the NCAA Tournament on Day 1.
They lost to Syracuse in the first round despite a 37-point performance from Audi Crooks.
The 6-foot-3 center averaged 25.8 points on 64.9% shooting with 7.7 rebounds and 1.7 assists in 28.8 minutes per game as a junior. She finished as the second-leading scorer in women’s college basketball.
Even if her size and lack of defense proved to be a major issue during the mid-season losing streak, Crooks cannot be stopped in the post on offense. You simply cannot guard her 1-on-1.
As she said in her post on social media, the grass is greener at Iowa State because Crooks watered it. The rising senior left the program in a better place than she found it.
However, she will not finish her career at the same place she started.
Audi Crooks will play next season elsewhere. She is one of nine different Cyclones who are going to seek a new opportunity in the transfer portal. More than half of the roster decided to leave! That’s not good…
Her mom criticized athletic director Jamie Pollard.
Iowa State women’s basketball coach Bill Fennelly released the following statement in response to the mass exodus. He (through the university) decided to take the high road.
Athletic director Jamie Pollard also posted a lengthy video message in response to the concerning amount of departures. It was something of a State of the Union for men’s and women’s basketball.
Pollard stood by both head coaches despite calls from the fans for each of them to be fired. He spent approximately seven minutes to reaffirm his commitment to both coaches. At no point did he take accountability for the trajectory of either program. His message was a lot like the gif of the dog that says “this is fine” while the house burns down around him.
Michelle Cook, the mother of Audi Crooks, did not buy what Pollard was trying to sell. She called him out in a comment on Facebook.
“I would strongly suggest you start by introducing yourself to the athletes and speaking to them directly!”
Sandy Espenmiller, the mother of recent Iowa State graduate Maggie Espenmiller-McGraw, has her back.
“1000%! There is zero curiosity about these young women let along why they are leaving. Wishing Audi all the best!”
For two separate parents of former players to speak out against the athletic director at Iowa State cannot be a good thing. Fans already want Pollard out. This will not help to quiet the noise. The dumpster fire is just going to keep burning in Ames.