College basketball fans know about Audi Crooks, but it is time for the world to learn all about the 6-foot-3 center. Crooks plays for the Iowa University Cyclones. Her story is pretty special, and her roots in basketball go back to well before her childhood. As Crooks shared in a March 2025 interview during March Madness last year, she and her mom Michelle both attended the same high school - and her mom has a record at the school, so "walking through those halls and seeing her her name and her face on that record board was definitely inspirational and motivational for me." She's also getting a lot of attention during the current basketball season and is on track to become the first NCAA women's basketball player to average one point per minute played in the 2025-26 season (Crooks is currently averaging 29.3 points in 26.8 minutes of play, per ESPN). That stat caught the attention of sportscaster Pat McAfee, who wrote via X on January 6, 2026, "My favorite women's college basketball team resides in Ames, Iowa.. NO QUESTION." Serena Williams Praises Caitlin Clark for Staying 'Grounded' Keep scrolling to learn more about Iowa superstar Audi Crooks. She's Been Compared to Shaq Audi Crooks David K Purdy/Getty Images Crooks might still be in college, but she's already getting plenty of comparisons to professional basketball players, including Los Angeles Lakes legend Shaquille O'Neal, who was known for taking over the court and his post moves. In fact, one of Crooks' nicknames is Baby Shaq, a nod to the way she similarly fearlessly dominates the floor. As her teammate Emily Ryan told Slam Magazine in March 2025, "She just dominates. It's what she does, and being able to have that enforcer in the paint is huge for us both on the floor. You know what to expect from her every day. She's super consistent." She Is Setting Records at Iowa Crooks became the fastest player to reach 1,000 points in Iowa State's program history in January 2025 when she scored 29 points during a game against Utah. Iowa Hawkeyes Phenom Caitlin Clark Declares for WNBA Draft Her Mom Also Played Basketball In a March 2025 interview with Ilana Raia, Crooks shared that her mom also played basketball. When asked who her role models were when she was a teen, Crooks answered, "Obviously, my mom - she actually went to the same high school that I did and she held a basketball record at that same school, so walking through those halls and seeing her her name and her face on that record board was definitely inspirational and motivational for me."