Audi Crooks already knows exactly what she could bring to the WNBA. As the highly touted basketball star prepares for her final collegiate season at Oklahoma State, she told The Blast that professional teams would be getting a rare, “old-school” post player whose power resembles that of NBA legend Shaquille O’Neal.
However, Crooks’ ambitions extend beyond dominating in the paint. Through JCPenney’s Inside Lane initiative, she is also helping the next generation of girls develop confidence in their game, personal style, and right to occupy spaces that have not always felt welcoming.
Crooks has already allowed herself to consider what a future in the WNBA could look like. Rather than offering teams a vague description of her strengths, she confidently identified the specific kind of player they would be getting.
“I would say yes, I definitely have,” Crooks told The Blast when asked if she had thought about the league. “Something for them to understand, I guess, is that you’re getting a dominant, old-school, Shaquille O’Neal-type powerful post player, and I feel like that’s something that’s a rarity in today’s game.”
Although outside expectations will continue following her into the next phase of her career, Crooks is primarily focused on reaching the standards she has established for herself. “It’s really about me,” she said. “I could care less what others have to say, so it’s just setting my goals that I’ve set and trying to attain those.”
Why Audi Crooks Chose Oklahoma State
Crooks was considered the No. 1 player in the transfer portal before choosing Oklahoma State for her final collegiate season. According to the basketball standout, the program offered the right combination of talent, support, and direction to complement her game.
“They had all the pieces that I needed, to be honest,” Crooks told The Blast. “I’ve been looking for some shooters, looking for some help, and I feel like they had the talent and the vision to put it all together,” she continued.
The move gives Crooks an opportunity to pursue her immediate collegiate goals while continuing to develop the skill set she hopes will eventually earn her a place in the WNBA. Her decision also suggests she was looking beyond the program’s name and considering how each player and piece could work together around her powerful post presence.
The Basketball Star Wants Young Girls To ‘Make’ Their Own Mold
Before beginning her next chapter at Oklahoma State, Crooks joined JCPenney’s Inside Lane alongside KK Arnold, Gabriela Jaquez, Jackie Young, and Stef Dolson. The initiative brings together NCAA standouts, WNBA players, and Olympic gold medalists to show young athletes that confidence, fashion, and belonging should not be exclusive.
On July 25, each Inside Lane athlete was set to mentor a young basketball player from the Boys & Girls Club of Chicago during a special JCPenney shopping experience. The young players would then attend the WNBA All-Star Game dressed in the looks they selected.
“Honestly, just hearing their stories and being able to make those connections and seeing what they like and what they don’t like,” Crooks said of what she was most excited to experience. “Shopping is fun, so just shopping with the girls. I’m so excited to see them too. I think it’s really cool that the girls are getting to shop their own looks. Not only that, but also be a part of the All-Star Game and see it firsthand.”
For girls who feel they do not resemble the traditional image of an athlete, Crooks offered a direct message. “I would say, if you don’t fit the mold, make your own. One hundred percent,” she declared.
Sylvia Fowles Helped Her Feel Represented
Crooks understands the impact that seeing the right role model can have on a young athlete. When she was younger, she looked up to Sylvia Fowles, whose commanding presence on the court was paired with a style Crooks also admired. “Yeah, I’d say my idol when I was a little bit younger was Sylvia Fowles,” she shared. “I just felt like she was a super dominant player, but she also had some cute stuff.”
Now, Crooks has the opportunity to offer younger athletes that same sense of representation. If she could speak to herself before her basketball career began taking off, Crooks said she would emphasize the value of maintaining belief in herself. “That it is important to have a high confidence level and to remain positive in your self-talk,” she said.
Audi Crooks Calls Out A Double Standard In Athlete Fashion
Crooks described her style away from the basketball court as “fly with a feminine flair.” “I like to look kind of business casual, but a little sprinkle of femininity in there,” she explained.
However, she believes female athletes face greater pressure than men to use fashion as proof of their femininity. “I would say so, yeah,” Crooks said when asked about the double standard. “I feel like a lot of the time, male athletes walk in on Tunnel Fit Day in sweats and joggers. If a woman were to do that, I feel like oftentimes it’s frowned upon.”
That pressure makes the accessibility behind the Inside Lane campaign particularly meaningful to her. Crooks said the partnership felt natural because JCPenney was already part of her life long before her basketball success.
“Honestly, just because it felt very authentic,” she explained. “Knowing that my story and my origin with JCPenney was with my family, Christmas shopping, back-to-school. I really can appreciate everything that they stand for: fashion and affordability all on the same token.”
Confidence Should Not Come With A High Price Tag
Crooks also remembers how difficult it could be to dress confidently while growing up in a small town where fashionable pieces were not always financially accessible. “I would say there was a time when I wasn’t as well known, and I grew up in a small town, and things weren’t necessarily cheap,” she told The Blast.
“It’s hard to, quote unquote, look the part or dress super fashionable when there’s a high price tag on some of these items,” Crooks continued. “So I think it’s important for everyone to be able to feel confident in their clothes.”
Through Inside Lane, Crooks is giving younger players access to the kind of visibility, guidance, and personal choice that can make them feel as though they belong. It reflects the same philosophy guiding her own career: Ignore the outside noise, define the goal, and create a new mold when the existing one does not fit.