Iowa State freshman Audi Crooks had just walked off the court after making 18-of-20 shots, dropping 40 points and grabbing a dozen rebounds in the most important game of her young college career – the Cyclones’ first-round NCAA tournament win over Maryland.
It was historic, the most points scored by a freshman in women’s NCAA Tournament history.
But despite the monster performance, Crooks was receiving outlandish amounts of hate and negativity on social media – not about what she did on the court, but about her looks.
Crooks, a 6-foot-3 forward, has been dealing with body shaming her whole life. The negative comments flooded in from the age of 13 when she was featured on ESPN. Despite her dominance on the hardwood, it was her body that haters on anonymous social media accounts would chime in on.
“That was hard for me as a young girl,” Crooks told On3. “I think the first time I got posted on ESPN, I was in seventh or eighth grade and I definitely wasn’t developed and I wasn’t really in shape. Seeing that when you’re 13 and there are grown men talking about you and your body instead of the game that I’m playing – that’s crazy. That was a lot for me to handle at such a young age.”
Tuning out noise is hard for Audi Crooks’ supporters
While she’s gotten much better at handling the hate and adjusting her mindset, it will never be easy to ignore. After that NCAA Tournament victory, which should have been a moment she was celebrated, even public figures like former NFL wide receiver Antonio Brown spread hateful messages about the talented freshman.
“When you’re biracial and when you’re as tall as she is, we’re never going to be like 100 pounds,” Crooks’ mom, Michelle Cook, told On3. “That’s just not how we’re built. That’s not how her dad’s side is built. It’s just embracing that. We’re not going to look like everybody. I think anytime you stand out in the crowd, you go through that stuff.”
It got to her at first. But it gets to those who love her even harder. Her family, friends and coaches have had to restrain themselves from responding to the accounts that spread so much hate, but Crooks begs them not to do it because she knows it’ll only fuel the fire.
“It’s really hard,” Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly told On3. “My wife has pulled my phone out of my hands many times. It’s like your kids or your grandkids. There’s been a number of times we talked and [Audi] would put her arm around me and say ‘Coach, I got it. You’re good. Don’t worry about it. Don’t go there. Don’t lower your level.’”
‘Just try to kill them with kindness‘
Audi Crooks’ mindset resembles that of an adult rather than a 19-year-old who just finished her freshman year of college. That’s because Crooks has already dealt with no shortage of adversity. When she was just 16 years old, her father passed away.
“I feel like that’s not something that anybody’s ever ready for, let alone I mean, I was 16 years old when he passed away,” Crooks said. “You can’t imagine your life without your parents… It’s still a lot and it’s always going to be a lot to handle, to think about, to deal with. But I just try to connect with him through the ways that he shared.”
And the adversity she’s faced has taught her a lesson – that time isn’t guaranteed. It’s this mindset that translates to her kindness and mature approach when handling unnecessary and unwarranted hate.
“It’s hard, but I think we have to talk about the big picture,” Crooks said. “The thing I don’t think a lot of people realize is that with women’s basketball and this movement going on, it used to be ‘Women aren’t as entertaining, women can’t dunk or women don’t score as many points.’ Well, now you can’t say that, because we do everything that men can do. So the attention shifts from the game to the individual. All of a sudden, I’m too tall or too short or too big or too thin. You can’t tear down the game itself because you can’t deny a stat sheet, so then they have to try to go for the individual. I think it was hard until I recognized the reality – people can hate but they can’t take away what I just did.”
“I was raised to kill them with kindness and that’s how I tried to raise Audi,” Cook said. “Just try to kill them with kindness, because then you don’t give them the ammunition to fire back.”
Crooks is one of basketball’s top returning stars
Audi Crooks just concluded a freshman campaign where she averaged 19.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. Despite starting the season coming off the bench, she quickly earned her spot as a starter and was one of the most dominant rookies in a loaded class.
“You just knew she was going to be good,” Fennelly said. “It was just a matter of conditioning and when she felt comfortable playing extended minutes – then you knew you had something special.”
She worked every day. She had a growth mindset from the moment she stepped on campus and continues to maintain it even after a highly impressive year. There are many aspects of her game and personality that make Crooks special. But her work ethic is one that immediately stands out.
“She’s got a chance to certainly be one of the best college players in the country…,” Fennelly said. “She’ll be on every preseason and postseason award team.”
Her ceiling is as high as she’ll take it.
Spreading positivity in everything is who she is
While people have embraced Audi Crooks because of what she does on the court, they’re drawn to her because of who she is as a person. She’s musical, silly and radiates positivity with every step she takes.
And it all comes back to her father.
“After church, [my dad and I] would stay and I’d beat on the drums and he played piano and sing, so he encouraged me to do the same thing as well,” Crooks said. “That’s where my love of music started.”
She’s since taught herself to play guitar and just purchased her second one this summer. Before every Iowa State game, she joins the school pep band, beating the drums and soaking in the moment. They eventually made her an honorary member, leaving her a T-shirt and a pair of sticks.
“Coach [Fennelly] always laughs and makes remarks about how I can’t do both,” Crooks said with a smile. “He says I have to pick one – band or basketball. I said, ‘I don’t know if you want to throw that at me. That’s a toss-up!’”
Crooks’ passion for positivity shows up everywhere
Her love for life and the people around her is evident. Before every game, Audi Crooks takes a second to pay tribute to her father.
“I take that extra moment just to pray and to just acknowledge him and his heavenly presence,” Crooks said. “I’ve been doing that since high school just because he couldn’t be there physically. But I always felt him in the spirit. That’s just how I connect with him before those moments.”
Despite the negativity Crooks has had to endure, she always chooses to focus on the positive – a lesson she’s learned from her family and the adversity she’s faced – and that’s not going to change this season.
“There might be 100 comments about my body or about how I look. But then there are 1,000 about my skill set, about my character, about how I smile and about how I treat other people,” Crooks said. “So it’s just like I said, no matter what you do, no matter who you are, if you’re doing something worth doing, then somebody’s going to hate on you. It’s just recognizing that and trying to take the bad with the good – and the good clearly outweighs the bad.”
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