As the Iowa State women’s basketball team looks ahead to the new season, one thing remains unchanged.
“Playing the Iowa State way, doing everything the Iowa State way regardless of the circumstance,” junior star Audi Crooks said Tuesday at the Big 12 Media Day in Kansas City.
“It doesn’t matter the arena; it doesn’t matter the crowd size. It is really, truly about being consistent with everything that you do in life,” Crooks said.
The Cyclones bowed out of the 2024-25 season in the first round of the NCAA Women’s Tournament at the hands of Michigan, 80-74. They finished seventh in the Big 12 with a 12-6 conference record, 23-12 overall.
However, a plethora of talent is back for more as the team returns four out of five of its leading scorers from last year: Crooks, junior forward Addy Brown, senior guard/forward Sydney Harris and junior guard Arianna Jackson. They lose point guard Emily Ryan, who returns to the team as a graduate assistant.
According to Iowa State head coach Bill Fennelly, Ryan is a mentor for what is shaping up to be a high-impact transfer in Jada Williams.
“When we lost Emily Ryan, we knew it was a priority to get perimeter players who could do the things we needed done. [Williams] fits that,” Fennelly said.
Williams comes in as a junior transfer from Arizona, averaging 12.7 points per game last year with the Wildcats.
“Choosing the right program was something I spent a lot of time on,” Williams said. “The culture that Coach Fennelly has built, the coaching staff, the team, the support staff and all the people who support us around Ames, that’s a big reason why I chose Iowa State.”
Her team will look for Williams to step into a point guard role and a scoring threat, alongside Big 12 preseason picks Crooks and Brown, with Crooks being the preseason Big 12 Player of the Year.
Iowa State begins its regular season play Nov. 3. The No. 14 Cyclones kick off their season at home with big expectations and a matchup against St. Thomas.
This team is one that has playoff potential, but a long road ahead. Fennelly has more than just stars on his roster to bring some much-needed depth to the Cyclone bench.
“We have Kenzie [Hare] back from an injury, a defensive player [Evangelia Paulk] from Wofford and a freshman guard,” Fennelly said. “We did consciously look for the people [to add] that really fit our priorities. Four of our five perimeter players who get the minutes are new, which is a big piece.”
After a season that ended too soon, it’s the changes in the off-season that can make or break a team.
The team to beat in the Big 12 is reigning conference champion TCU, which currently sits 17th in the AP poll. Other ranked conference opponents include No. 16 Baylor and No. 22 Oklahoma State. West Virginia, Kansas State and Kansas each received votes.
Other notable matchups include Drake on Nov. 20, Marquette on Nov. 28 and the much-anticipated showdown against in-state rival Iowa. The Hawkeyes, currently ranked 21, travel to Ames on Dec. 10.
“Last year we came up short in a lot of different ways from our personal goals as a team,” Brown said. “We’re more motivated than we’ve ever been. We know we have the talent in this group to do it this year, so now it’s up to us, every single day.”
