Audi Crooks sweeps Big 12 weekly awards
- Thread starter Connor_Ferguson
- Start date
She didn’t play on one, but she played against them. And she did what she does regardless of level. It wasn’t every game against top tier teams, but she did face off against a number of them.
She has said in multiple interviews the doubters of her ability to play at this level fuel her.
I don't think you're being too much of a homer (though it's tough to place Prince). I haven't gotten to watch the women as much this season as I'd like, but just looking at individual box scores, it's hard to identify matchups where Crooks has clearly been outplayed by another post.
For instance, in the KSU game:
Ayoka Lee: 20 points (8-21 shooting), 6 rebounds, 7 blocks, 3 turnovers
Audi Crooks: 20 points (8-20 shooting), 9 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 block, 1 turnover
Audi's worst game of conference play was against Kansas and the height of Taiyanna Jackson in the second game of conference play. Crooks had 11 points on 3-10 shooting. But she improved to 25 points (on 10-23 shooting) in the second matchup against Kansas. Overall, Crooks has been really consistent, with only 5/15 Big 12 games at 15 or fewer points (but still all double-digit points), and 9/15 games with at least 20 points. Especially for a freshman, that consistency is really impressive.
That thread got so disgusting that I gave up and opted myself out of Rival Forum entirely. It was aversely impacting how I view our WBB "fans". I visit a number of WBB forums and am a member of a few. It's the worst WBB related thread I've ever run across.
Ah, rival forum. No wonder I had no idea what thread people were talking about.
The Kstate game is where I switched from "How does Audi match up to their big?" to "How does their big match up with Audi?"
There are a lot of games in our future where the other team has no answer for her and will have to resort to doubling her or more likely fouling her all the time.
I read it frequently as I live in Iowa City and the Graduate Assistant on this year's team is a family friend - it's like a gaper's block passing by a car accident - I can't stop myself from looking. I don't see too many of our WBB regulars in the thread - a few of the "drop by once in awhile" crowd are prominent. While I don't think it's the worst WBB thread I've every seen, I'll agree it's embarrassing, particularly the length. I dislike the hawks as much as anybody but I can't find it in myself to hate a young adult female...
Everyone wants a dominate post, whether it be an all-around great (say a Lee or an Aliyah Boston), an offensive force only (like Hawks Czinano), or a rim protective defensive specialist (like Jayhawks Jackson). Most team don't have either three and have to patch something together with average play. Crooks is already an elite scorer and a decent rebounder (those good hands).
I've opted out of that board and the politics board as long as they've been a thing you could opt out of. No regrets at all.
It's gotten a lot tamer since CyTwins left, but a lot of ISU fans can't cope with CC and the attention she gets so it's gotten kind of ugly over that particular subject. I can't even imagine what a **** show that would be if Twins was still around.
It's why I also have one popular Cyclone Twitter troll blocked. Being a troll and an ******* 24/7 for fun just doesn't make for me as a follower. I don't get the whole "Oh, boy did you see how our ******* owned that rival guy who was also being an ass!'
By this time next year Crooks might be a REALLY big thing in WBB especially with some better national TV and a good March run. She has the game and personality and maybe enough team around her to enhance that with a big team season. A real run at the "real" Big 12 title would certainly help.
I don't think the coaching staff was surprised about her skill and ability. Their concern was about her ability to play for long stretches with her high school fitness level. She worked her tail off in the off season and continues to work during the season and they are surprised by the number of minutes she is able to give. That OT game they apparently kept asking her if she needed a blow and she kept telling them she had a little more to give so they kept her in for a career high in minutes. ISU probably doesn't win that game if she had to sit out many of those minutes.
So now the Audi Crooks awards thread is about CC and complaining that everyone doesn’t love her?
Back to Audi, I thought she won Player of the Week but not Freshman of the Week earlier in the year, which made no sense. Having a hard time finding that though. But it seems like if a freshman was player of the week she would automatically be freshman of the week?
Back to Audi, I thought she won Player of the Week but not Freshman of the Week earlier in the year, which made no sense. Having a hard time finding that though. But it seems like if a freshman was player of the week she would automatically be freshman of the week?
I’ve thought much the same. We have THREE key players joining the roster next year. I wont be surprised to see Ryan back as well. If that is the case this team will be loaded for bear. Crooks is already starting to get good national attention and the talk I hear and read mentions all of her qualities, hard work, stellar play, bubbly personality which illustrates her love for the game and how she always deflects to credit her teammates. That’s a formula for success not just in basketball, but in life.
