Iowa State's Audi Crooks become one of the top 10 centers nominated for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Award

On Friday, the top ten finalists for the 2025 Lisa Leslie Center of the Year award were announced. Among them was Iowa State's sophomore star Audi Crooks. The Cyclones women's basketball team shared the exciting news to Instagram.

The award, named for WNBA legend Lisa Leslie, is given annually to the best center in women's basketball. Since its inception in 2018, notable recipients have included A'ja Wilson, Megan Gustafson and Aliyah Boston, who has won the award for the past four seasons.

Other finalists for 2025 include Lauren Betts, a junior at No. 1 UCLA, and senior Taylor Jones from No. 4 Texas.

Syndication: The Ames Tribune - Source: Imagn

Audi Crooks' standout sophomore season

Audi Crooks joined Iowa State as the top in-state recruit from the Class of 2023. She made 29 starts for the Cyclones in her freshman season, averaging 19.2 points per game. Crooks scored double-digit points in all but her first game that season and recorded eight double-doubles. Iowa State reached the Big 12 Tournament final and the second round of the NCAA Tournament, with Crooks and fellow freshman Addy Brown leading the team in scoring and rebounds.

“You just knew she was going to be good,” head coach Bill Fennelly said of Crooks' freshman campaign. “It was just a matter of conditioning and when she felt comfortable playing extended minutes – then you knew you had something special.”

Syndication: The Ames Tribune - Source: Imagn

The star center has become even more dominant in her sophomore season. Crooks has started in all 25 of the Cyclones' games this season, averaging an NCAA sixth-best 22.6 points per game. She's improved both her field goal and 3-point percentages and has scored over 30 points on four occasions this season. Despite her dominance, Crooks has received hate online for her appearance. However, she knows this does not diminish her achievements for Iowa State.

"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," Crooks said. "I think it was hard until I recognized the reality – people can hate but they can’t take away what I just did."

Crooks is correct that you can't deny a stat sheet, and her case looks solid as she aims to secure the Lisa Leslie Award.