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Audi Crooks was already a social phenomenon in the United States before entering the NCAA. Playing for Bishop Garrigan High School, she was already recognizable for her powerful physique: 1.90 meters and more than 100 kilos that did not prevent her from moving with tremendous ease. But in her second season at Iowa State University, the center has become a star. She is the seventh leading scorer in the competition with 23.0 points per game with a 59.7% shooting percentage that shows how difficult it is to stop her. She also grabs 7.7 rebounds in 28.9 minutes on the court.
Always smiling, friendly and confident in press conferences, the center is one of the faces of the NCAA. She has signed advertising contracts that provide her with juicy NIL (name, image or likeness) income and, with Caitlin Clark in the WNBA, she is the new star of women's sports in Iowa. In high school she had already shown her potential by scoring 2,734 points, the third best mark in the state of all time. Bishop Garrigan finished with a 101-8 record in the four years she was on the team.
Shot put and discus champion
But before opting for basketball, she had also practiced other sports. She was a state champion in shot put and discus and excelled at volleyball. She had the genes of an athlete, as her parents had played at a good level in high school. When she was born, Audi already weighed 4.9 kilograms and measured 71 centimeters.
There may be 100 comments about my body or about the way I look, but there are also 1,000 about my skills, about my character, about how I smile and about how I treat others
Her physique has marked her life. On the court it has helped her to make a difference, as in the zone there is no one who can match her strength. It is impossible to move her in defense or when she gains position in search of a rebound while her peers are thrown off when she is the one attacking. But since she was a child, her corpulencehas also made her the center of insults, mockery and tasteless comments.
"There may be 100 comments about my body or about how I look, but there are also 1,000 about my skills, about my character, about how I smile and about how I treat others. And if you make a comment, it's because you're looking at me. You turned on the TV to watch me play and be able to say something bad. That's amazing. I love it. Thank you for being my audience. That's how I see it," she says.
Doubts about his performance in the NCAA
It was that physical build that made him doubt his performance in the NCAA. He had offers from numerous universities but chose Iowa State, close to his native Algona. In his first year they designed a plan that made him lose more than 20 kilos. Now he is around 100. For his debut season he said that he would be happy to play 10 minutes per game. He averaged 26.2 with 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds per game.
The impact was immediate, but it was not until last year's March Madness that Crooks finally exploded. She was instrumental in a 20-point comeback against Maryland, scoring 40 points on 18/20 shooting from the field. Among NCAA men and women, only the legendary Bill Walton, playing for UCLA in 1973, had reached 40 points with 90% shooting accuracy. "Her world, her life, changed forever in that game," says coach Bill Fennelly.
If you make a comment, it's because you're watching me. You turned on the TV to watch me play and be able to say something bad. That's amazing. I love it. Thank you for being my audience
Crooks ha anotado más de 10 puntos en 63 de los 64 encuentros que ha disputado con las Cyclones. Sólo se quedó por debajo en su debut. En su último partido llegó a los 36 puntos y los 10 rebotes. Una fuerza de la naturaleza ante la que las rivales no pueden hacer nada y que asombra incluso a antiguas estrellas de la NBA. Kevin Garnett ha encontrado el apodo de 'Lady Shaq'. No suena mal.