The women’s college basketball transfer portal got its biggest addition this week when Iowa State star Audie Crooks revealed she is entering college basketball free agency to “explore what it means to re-establish roots in a new land.” Which is code for getting one last big payday in his final year of eligibility.
In her three seasons with the Cyclones, Crooks became one of the best players in program history and emerged as one of the game’s leading scorers. Ranked second in the country with 25.8 points per night in 2025–26.
Crooks is a dominant force, with his bull in china shop style in the paint, and will surely have a number of big-time suitors in the transfer portal. With that in mind, we look at six potential landing spots for Star Jr.
UCLA Bruins
After a big win over Texas on Friday night, UCLA coach Corey Close is on the verge of bringing the women’s basketball program its first national championship. However, after the championship game, their team will either lose or win, as many stars are headed to the WNBA.
Close will need to rebuild quickly to keep the Bruins in tournament contention. Going after Crooks would make a lot of sense to fill the void left by the departure of top star Lauren Bates.
minnesota golden gophers
There is already talk that Minnesota could be the top contender for Audie Crooks in the transfer portal. Coach Don Plitzuwitz has turned the Golden Gophers into a powerhouse in the Big Ten and got the program to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in eight years this month. Splurging on an Iowa State star in the portal and trying to jump into title contention next season would be a smart risk for the program.
lsu tigers
LSU’s Kim Mulkey is one of the top coaches in college basketball and has already announced that she plans to enter the transfer portal to improve her roster for next season. Crooks could certainly be a priority to push the Tigers back into Final Four contention in 2026-27. The thought of Audie Crooks and Mylesia Fulville teaming up next season should scare SEC rivals.
iowa hockeys
Coaches Lisa Bluder and Caitlin Clark transformed the women’s basketball program at Iowa into a glamor team. Jen Jensen has done a good job of maintaining the standards, but they need bigger guns. Especially because they will lose star forward Hannah Stuelke to graduation this spring.
Getting Crooks away from their in-state rivals would be a huge coup for the Hawkeyes program and they would get a new scoring machine in Clark.
yukon huskies
After being the best team in basketball all season, Geno Auriemma didn’t handle UConn’s chance at another repeat after losing to South Carolina in the Final Four. He has never been a fan of the transfer portal. However, that bitter loss could propel them to make a big splash this spring. Especially since they will lose several key players after this season, including forward Sarah Williams.
tcu horned frog
Mark Campbell has turned TCU into an elite program in the Big 12 after back-to-back seasons with 32 or more wins. However, they are set to lose some elite players from the program this year, including star forward Marta Suarez. The university has expressed its desire to continue spending on the transfer portal. Going after the top scorer in the country will help maintain the Horned Frogs’ new standard as a top program in women’s college basketball.
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