Jacie Hoyt’s ‘Gusty’ Approach to Recruit Audi Crooks to Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoty took a unique approach to closing the deal with transfer Audi Crooks.

Oklahoma State Cowgirls head coach Jacie Hoyt. | Amy Kontras-Imagn Images

Oklahoma State women’s basketball coach Jacie Hoyt knew she was going to have to be bold to repair her roster for the 2026-27 season.

Her entire roster left either due to graduation or the transfer portal, except for Stailee Heard, the three-time All-Big 12 selection who opted to remain for a fourth season. Otherwise, the roster was a tabula rasa of sorts.

Hoyt landed a class of exceptional players, led by former Iowa State center Audi Crooks, seen by every analyst as the top player in the transfer portal. She spoke to reporters earlier this week about what led her to join Oklahoma State.

Jacie Hoyt’s Approach to Recruiting Audi Crooks

Iowa State Cyclones center Audi Crooks. | Reese Strickland-Imagn Images

Turns out, Hoyt’s pitch wasn’t just about building Crooks up, she said to reporters including Pistols Firing.

“It was at the midpoint of the visit, and she’d put together some clips, and it was like a lowlight reel,” Crooks said. “It was just a bunch of missed layups. And I thought to myself, ‘Man, that pretty gutsy for you to sit here and show me everything I’m doing wrong.”

Hoyt was sitting next to her when she made the comment and chuckled. Fortunately, Crooks got the point of the clips.

“She’s not somebody who’s going to say, ‘Oh, come over here we have the sun and the moon and the stars,’” Crooks said. “You’re here to work. So, knowing she had that mentality to humble me on my visit when she’s actively trying to get me to come to her school it let me know that accountability was going to be present.”

Crooks played at Iowa State for three seasons and finished her career with 2,256 points, second-most in program history to Ashley Joens. The two-time all-America selection averaged 25.8 points and 7.7 rebounds last season.

Hoyt and her staff put together a transfer class that is widely considered the best in women’s college basketball, led by Crooks, who was considered the top prize. But the Cowgirls also landed the No. 2 ranked transfer in Florida guard Liv McGill, along with Talexa Weeter from Fort Hays Stadium, who was the Division II player of the year.

The Cowgirls also landed two former Big 12 players in Utah guard LA Sneed and Baylor guard Yuting Deng. The rest of the transfer class is guard Ellie Brueggemann, guard Nene Ndiaye and guard Zoe Canfield.

OSU also recently signed Slovenia center Mojca Jelenc and has two incoming freshmen in forward Annie Kibedi and guard Addisyn Bollinger.