Basketball <\/p>\n
The Iowa State Cyclones women\u2019s basketball team is going to look a lot different during the 2026-27 campaign than it did when their 2025-26 season came to a close.<\/p>\n
Despite making the NCAA tournament, where they were a No. 8 seed and were eliminated by the Syracuse Orange in the Round of 64, there has been a mass exodus from the roster. Nine players have announced their intention to enter the transfer portal, including star center Audi Crooks<\/a>.<\/p>\n Arguably the most dominant offensive player in the sport currently, Crooks shared her decision to enter the transfer portal with a message on her Instagram account. That creates a massive void for head coach Bill Fennelly and Iowa State to replace.<\/p>\n Now that she has made her intentions clear, reports are flowing in on the kind of money she could get as a free agent. As shared by Pete Nakos of On3<\/a> (subscription required), Crooks is seeking a significant payday in the transfer portal.<\/p>\n \u201cAn SEC team has Crooks\u2019 value in the $450,000 to $500,000 range, a source told On3, but expects the center to be asking for well north of the half-million mark,\u201d Nakos wrote.<\/p>\n It will be interesting to see how things unfold for the Cyclones star once the portal opens on April 6, remaining open through April 20. Eligible for the 2026 WNBA Draft, Crooks could decide to turn pro if she doesn\u2019t receive the kind of NIL offers she is seeking.<\/p>\n However, her focus right now is solely on finding a new program and playing out her last year of college eligibility next season.<\/p>\n There should be no shortage of suitors for her. Crooks is an intimidating force<\/a> on the offensive end of the court, standing 6-foot-3 and overwhelming her opponents in the post.<\/p>\n \u2014 Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) April 2, 2026<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n During her junior season, she averaged a career-high 25.8 points per game. That was second in the country and led the Big 12. She made a career-best 64.9% of her shot attempts with a 65.0% effective field goal rate, both of which led the conference as well<\/a>.<\/p>\n It was the second consecutive season that Crooks led the Big 12 in scoring, field goal percentage and 2-point field goal percentage (66.2%). She rounded out her stat line with 7.7 rebounds, 1.7 assists, 0.3 steals and 0.8 blocks in 28.8 minutes per game.<\/p>\n Replacing that kind of production will be no small task for the Cyclones. Their entire offensive game plan has run through Crooks for two seasons, but that will change next fall.<\/p>\n<\/div>\nHow much is Audi Crooks looking for in NIL on the transfer portal?<\/h2>\n