6 Landing Spots for Star Scorer Audi Crooks in Transfer Portal, Including Iowa & UCLA
Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images The women’s college basketball transfer portal got its biggest addition this week when Iowa State star Audi Crooks revealed she is entering college basketball free agency to “explore what it means to take root again in new ground . ” Which is code for getting one last big payday in her final year of eligibility. Over her three seasons with the Cyclones, Crooks became one of the best players in program history and emerged as one of the sport’s premier scorers.
Finishing second in the country in 2025-26 with 25. 8 points a night. Crooks is a dominant force, with her bull in a China shop style in the paint, and is sure to have many big-time suitors in the transfer portal.
With that in mind, we look at six potential landing spots for the star junior. UCLA Bruins Kirby Lee-Imagn Images After a big win over Texas on Friday night, UCLA coach Cori Close is on the cusp of bringing the women’s basketball program its first national championship. However, her team will be gutted, win or lose, after the championship game, with several stars heading to the WNBA.
Close will need to quickly rebuild to keep the Bruins in tournament contention. Going after Crooks to fill the void left by the exit of top star Lauren Betts makes a ton of sense. Minnesota Golden Gophers Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images There has already been early buzz that Minnesota could be a top suitor for Audi Crooks in the transfer portal.
Coach Dawn Plitzuweit has turned the Golden Gophers into a powerhouse in the Big Ten and got the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years this month. Splurging on the Iowa State star in the portal and trying to leap into title contention next season would be a smart risk for the program. LSU Tigers Ed Szczepanski-Imagn Images LSU’s Kim Mulkey is one of the top coaches in college basketball and has already declared she plans to go into the transfer portal to improve her roster for next season.