Iowa State’s women’s basketball program is confronting a seismic shift as the 2026‑27 season approaches, with nine players — including four starters — having moved on from the Cyclones. Coach Bill Fennelly now faces the task of reshaping a roster that must quickly find cohesion while preserving the program’s storied identity.
Among those departures are Audi Crooks, who averaged 25.8 points per game and is now headed to Oklahoma State, Jada Williams, a First Team All Big 12 selection bound for LSU, and versatile forward Addy Brown. In their place, the staff has secured commitments from Ashleigh Connor of La Salle, who posted 15.8 points and two steals per game, Maya Babbit from Kent State, who contributed 16.1 points, and Alex‑Anne Bessette of Loyola Chicago, a 6‑foot‑2 presence who brings both size and scoring.
A Challenging Schedule Awaits
The schedule reflects the rigors of the Big 12, featuring home contests against BYU, Colorado, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech and Utah, while the Cyclones will travel to face Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, Cincinnati, UCF and West Virginia. The marquee home matchup against Oklahoma State will be especially poignant, given Crooks’s recent arrival in Stillwater, and the away game at Baylor in Waco is expected to test the new roster’s resilience.
Coach Bill Fennelly emphasizes that the team is not rebuilding from scratch; decades of tradition and deep recruiting relationships remain intact, providing a foundation upon which the new talent can build. The coaching staff believes the blend of experience and fresh energy will allow the Cyclones to compete against perennial powers such as Kansas and Kansas State.
As the first games tip off in November, the focus will be on forging chemistry quickly, embracing the intensity of conference play, and establishing a new standard for Iowa State women’s basketball that honors the past while looking toward a promising future.