Iowa State women’s basketball freshmen Audi Crooks, Addy Brown earn All-Big 12 accolades

Early in the Iowa State women’s basketball season, it quickly became obvious that Iowa State’s Audi Crooks was one of the top young players in the entire conference, earning four Big 12 Freshman of the Week honors.

But Crooks isn’t just one of the best freshmen in the league. She’s one of the best players in the Big 12.

Crooks, a center for the Cyclones, was named to the All-Big 12 coaches first team, the league announced Tuesday. The Algona native was one of four unanimous selections. And it’s certainly easy to see why after the season she complied.

The 6-foot-3 post player ranked third in the league in field-goal percentage (.582), fifth in scoring (18.3) and seventh in rebounds (7.7) per game. Crooks was a big reason for Iowa State’s success this season, with the Cyclones compiling an 18-10 mark including 12-6 in Big 12 play. Iowa State, which received a double bye in this week’s Big 12 Tournament, is also likely headed to the NCAA Tournament.

There were huge expectations when Crooks arrived at Iowa State. She was a superstar at Bishop Garrigan High School in Algona, where she was ranked No. 57 on the 2023 HoopGurlz Recruiting espnW100. Crooks guided her team to two state championships in basketball and poured in an all-class state tournament-record 49 points in her final game.

Still, there were questions surrounding Crooks and whether she would be able to adapt from playing small-school basketball to high-level competition at Iowa State in the Big 12. The jump wasn’t difficult for her. Crooks was eased into things early on and came off the bench in Iowa State’s first four games.

After a successful start, Crooks earned a starting spot and never gave it up. She became the focal point of Iowa State’s offense and gave the Cyclones a dominant post presence they haven’t had for years. Crooks' 512 points are an Iowa State single-season freshman record.

Crooks wasn't the only Cyclone recognized by the Big 12. Freshman Addy Brown was named an honorable-mention pick. Brown earned a starting spot right away and quickly became an important part of Iowa State's young roster. During her first season, she averaged 13.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game. Crooks and Brown were also named to the league's All-Freshman Team.

Oklahoma coach Jennie Baranczyk, who played at Dowling High School and the University of Iowa before coaching at Drake, was named Big 12 Coach of the Year.

Tommy Birch, the Register's sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He's the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

This article originally appeared on Des Moines Register: Iowa State freshmen Audi Crooks and Addy Brown earn Big 12 accolades