It’s no secret that in today’s landscape of college athletics, programs have to spend money if they want their teams to feature talented players.
Especially players in the transfer portal who have already proven themselves to be elite at the college level — like Audi Crooks.
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The two-time All-American and nation’s second leading scorer this past season was widely considered the best player available in the transfer portal for women’s basketball this offseason. Ultimately, after receiving lots of interest from top programs, she transferred from Iowa State to Oklahoma State.
Crooks, a three-time All-Big 12 selection who averaged 25.8 points per game last season, is certainly being compensated through either revenue sharing or Name, Image and Likeness. That’s true for countless women’s basketball players, especially for the top players who entered the transfer portal this offseason.
But currently, there’s no way to confirm just how much players are making. There’s not a public database with payments and salaries aren’t publicized the way they are in professional leagues.
So when an anonymous account on X said that Crooks was earning $1.4 million from Oklahoma State, it turned heads and raised eyebrows. If true, that would mean Crooks is earning as much as the highest-paid WNBA players, like four-time MVP A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces, which is how the report was framed by Yahoo Sports.
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But Oklahoma State head coach Jacie Hoyt is disputing that report and threw cold water on it this week during a press conference.
“There’s a lot of fake news out there. I don’t know how people can just make things up and put it out there as if it’s fact,” Hoyt said. “I’ll just be the first to say, the $1.4 million graphic that came out on Audi — that’s not true. I’m not going to get into the details on that, that’s really no one’s business, but everyone thinks that’s what it is now and that’s just kind of crazy.”
Hoyt conceded programs have to be willing to pay to start conversations with the top prospects, but said the players the Cowgirls landed in the transfer portal this year came to Stillwater, Oklahoma, because of other factors too.
“We were very intentional with the kids that we brought in and it wasn’t just a money game. All of our kids came here for reasons that are so much bigger than money,” Hoyt said. “Do you have to have money to get to the table with these kids? One hundred percent — that’s the name of the game, that’s the world that we live in, and I’m grateful that people backed me and supported me to have a seat at that table.”
One example of that is Liv McGill, an All-SEC guard who transferred to Oklahoma State from Florida. Hoyt said if Florida hadn’t made a coaching change — the Gators fired Kelly Rae Finley and hired Tammi Reiss — McGill likely would have remained with the Gators.
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Coming to Oklahoma State presented the opportunity for McGill to pave her own way.
“She’s an incredibly loyal person and really adored (Finley). I just have a lot of respect for kids like that,” Hoyt said of McGill. “What I think is so cool about this class is that it’s full of kids who wanted to make their own way. They didn’t want to go to a place that is maybe a bigger name. They wanted to blaze their own trail, and Liv was really the leader in that.
“From an outsider’s viewpoint, it doesn’t make any sense that Liv McGill is a Cowgirl. But if you’re in those conversations and in those rooms, you see why it’s a perfect fit.”
USA TODAY Sports recently ranked Oklahoma State as having the best transfer portal class this offseason. In addition to Crooks and McGill, Hoyt’s Cowgirls also added 3-point sharpshooter Ellie Brueggemann from Lindenwood and a versatile forward in Nènè Ndiaye from Rutgers. Baylor guard Yuting Deng, Utah guard LA Sneed and Missouri State guard Zoe Canfield also joined the program. Oklahoma State also returns two-time All-Big 12 selection Stailee Heard, who has been the Cowgirls’ leader and on-court bus driver in recent seasons.
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Crooks was obviously the headlining addition though.
A 6-foot-3 native of Algona, Iowa, has established herself as one of the most efficient inside scorers in the nation, bulldozing through opponents on her way to a layup, shrugging defenders off with quick post moves, or artfully dancing around them. Her career field goal percentage of 61.1% is fifth all-time in the history of Big 12 women’s basketball.
Despite her individual accomplishments, Crooks never played in the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament with Iowa State. This upcoming season will be her final year of collegiate eligibility before she declares for the WNBA draft.
“Audi came here because she wanted to be a part of our style and I don’t intend on changing that. Am I going to need to make some tweaks here and there? Of course,” Hoyt said. “But Audi is very motivated to play in a system that she feels can help her go to the next level and I think we have a really good system for that. She saw that, she played against it, she felt it.”
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Oklahoma State last season ranked eighth nationally in points per 100 possessions — a stat that indicates the Cowgirls played at a fast pace. They were also 11th nationally in 3-pointers made per game.
Crooks has attempted just 40 3-pointers in her previous three seasons at Iowa State. Playing for the Cowgirls could lead her to add a new wrinkle to her game.
“She’s excited to kind of fit in to us,” Hoyt said. “We’re not changing everything for Audi and Audi doesn’t want that. Audi wants to be pushed, she wants to be in a system that is going to help develop her and push her in ways that she hasn’t been pushed.”
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Audi Crooks is not making $1.4 million, Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach says
