Crooks makes the call: She's a Cowgirl

STILLWATER, Okla. (AP) — Oklahoma State followed up the signing of coveted transfer Liv McGill by landing the top-ranked player in the portal in Audi Crooks, positioning the Cowgirls to make a run at their first Big 12 championship next year and maybe more.

Crooks made her announcement Sunday in a video on social media featuring her and Oklahoma State coach Jacie Hoyt. The bruising 6-foot-3 star has a season of eligibility left after three years at Iowa State.

The former Bishop Garrigan all-stater — the daughter of ex-Golden Bear star Michelle (Vitzthum) Cook and the late Jimmie Crooks, a standout athlete at Fort Dodge Senior High — was one of nine Iowa State players who entered the transfer portal in the first 12 hours it was open.

She averaged 25.8 points last season.

“We are thrilled with the addition of Audi,” Hoyt said. “She has been one of the country’s most dominant scorers the last few years and to think she will be in a Cowgirl uniform feels surreal. She has elite size and strength paired with elite hands and touch that allow her to be an automatic bucket around the rim. The last three years, I’ve watched team after team strategize and game plan around stopping her and almost all have failed miserably.”

Oklahoma State lost nine players to the portal after going 24-10, finishing tied for fourth in the Big 12 at 12-6 and going 1-1 in the women’s NCAA Tournament.

The Cowgirls have announced the signings of six transfers, the first being Division II national player of the year Talexa Weeter of Fort Hays State in Kansas. Following her were 3-point shooting specialist Ellie Brueggemann (Lindenwood), point guard LA Sneed (Utah) and guard Nene Ndiaye (Rutgers).

McGill, ranked the No. 2 player in the portal by CBS Sports, picked Oklahoma State after averaging 22.5 points, 6.3 assists and 6.1 rebounds.

Then came Crooks, who averaged 22.8 points over 99 games in her three seasons at Iowa State. Her departure was a blow to fans who had been following her since her high school career in Algona, about 100 miles from the ISU campus in Ames.

“I still believe the grass is greener where you water it, and I’ve done that here,” Crooks said in a social media post when she left Iowa State. “It’s why I want you to hear from me directly that I have decided to enter the portal and explore what it means to take root again in new ground.”

Crooks is one of the most popular players in the women’s game and among the highest earners in name, image and likeness compensation.

“Getting to know Audi in the recruiting process was truly a joy,” Hoyt said. “She has the personality and intangibles that make you love her and want to root for her immediately. I know she will immediately become a fan favorite and fit right in to Stillwater. She is incredibly motivated in her senior year to evolve and expand her game. She came here to grow and just like some of her teammates who stayed or came from the portal, she has courage to blaze her own path and pursue what can be a historical season for us.”