Iowa

Addy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI

Published

6 months ago

December 15, 2025

Addy Brown motivated to step up in Audi Crooks’ absence vs. UNI

AMES – When the Iowa State women’s basketball team came out for warmups prior to the Dec. 14 game against Northern Iowa, Cyclones junior Addy Brown peeked over at the Panthers.

Brown, who knew Iowa State star Audi Crooks wouldn’t be playing, wanted to see how her in-state rivals would react to the Cyclones’ star center not being available.

“I just saw a lot of smiles,” Brown said.

“I really think they had some hope and they were excited. And I was like, ‘Ah, no, you’re not going to be too excited for long.’ That made me mad. That gave me more motivation. I don’t forget things very easy.”

Brown took things into her own hands. She scored a game-high 28 points as the 10th-ranked Cyclones beat Northern Iowa 81-53 at Hilton Coliseum on Sunday. Brown added 12 rebounds and three assists while connecting on 10-for-20 shots from the field including 4-for-7 from 3-point range while successfully filling the void left by Crooks.

“I think we gave them hope and I was going to make sure we took that hope away,” Brown said with a smile.

There was certainly reason for optimism for the Panthers. It was just a year ago that Northern Iowa took down a ranked Iowa State squad that had Crooks in its lineup in Cedar Falls. Crooks, who entered the weekend leading the nation in scoring at 27.8 points per game, wasn’t available this time around.

The Cyclones post player was out with a head injury she sustained during Iowa State’s win over Iowa earlier in the week. Crooks is in return-to-play protocol. Iowa State was also without Evangelia Paulk, a key contributor off the bench who was dealing with a mild soft tissue injury. Guard Reese Beaty is also out with a foot injury.

So the Cyclones decided to lean on Brown, one of the most versatile players in the nation, in their final in-state game and final non-conference game of the season. Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly made it clear to her before the game that she was going to have to step up in a big way.

“I told her, ‘You need to show people what I already know about you’ and ironically I told her before the game, ‘If you don’t take 20 shots, the whole team is running,’” Fennelly said.

Brown took the challenge on. She scored all eight points during an 8-0 run in the first quarter that gave the Cyclones a 14-10 lead. Brown also had five points during an 11-0 run to close out the second quarter. She capped it off by draining a 3-pointer right before the buzzer, throwing her hands in the air as the team went to the locker room.

“I was a little tired,” Brown said. “I needed a break.”

Brown nearly had a double-double by halftime, finishing the first two quarters with 21 points and eight rebounds as Iowa State led 48-26.

The Cyclones outscored Northern Iowa 19-12 in the third quarter. Brown barely needed to play in the fourth quarter, checking out with 7:32 left and Iowa State up 71-38. She needed just 28 minutes and 36 seconds of playing time to do all of her damage.

While Iowa State needed contributions from Crooks’ backups at the center spot, it was Brown who needed to take on an even bigger role Sunday.

“We had to capitalize today and it was going to be a tough one with three of our players out, but we stepped up in big ways,” Brown said. “I think it was exciting.”

What’s next for Audi Crooks

Fennelly said that he was “hopeful” that Crooks would be back when the Cyclones open Big 12 Conference play on Dec. 21 against Kansas. Crooks has been dominant this season, shooting better than 72% from the floor while pulling down 6.1 rebounds per game.

Fennelly said Crooks got hit in the head during Iowa State’s win over Iowa.

“You can’t take any chances with anyone,” Fennelly said following Sunday’s game. “She’s still mad at me because we didn’t play her, but we’re not doing that. I don’t care who we’re playing or where we’re playing.”

Fennelly said the team needs to see improvement from Crooks before she’s ready to return.

“We’ll probably know by the end of the week,” he said. “But hopefully that she’ll be back.”

Bill Fennelly provides updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks

Iowa State coach Bill Fennelly gives injury updates on Evangelia Paulk and Audi Crooks

Fennelly gives injury update on Paulk

Iowa State was also without Paulk, an important contributor off the bench. The transfer played in Iowa State’s first 11 games this season, averaging 1.6 points, 3.5 rebounds and 0.9 steals in 11.6 minutes per game. Fennelly said Paulk was dealing with a neck injury after possibly sleeping on it wrong.

“She can’t move her neck,” Fennelly said. “So my guess is she’ll be OK.”

Alisa Williams and Lilly Taulelei fill the center spot for Crooks

With Crooks unavailable to play, the Cyclones leaned on Alisa Williams and Taulelei. Both gave Iowa State important minutes. Williams started in Crooks’ place and scored 11 points on 5-for-5 shooting. She also grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. Taulelei added eight points and two rebounds off the bench.

Williams said she was excited for the opportunity.

“Just knowing I needed to be myself — I don’t have to be anybody else,” Williams said.

Tanya Warren raves about Iowa State

Iowa State was in the midst of a strong season a year ago, having won its first four games before playing at Northern Iowa. The Cyclones, then ranked eighth in the Associated Press poll, suffered a brutal 87-75 loss to the Panthers.

Iowa State went on to win 23 games but had to play in the “First Four” round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cyclones were expected to compete for a Big 12 title and make a deep run in the NCAA Tournament but neither of those things happened.

Northern Iowa coach Tanya Warren said the Cyclones are much improved from a season ago thanks to Brown and Crooks and the addition of point guard Jada Williams, who scored 10 points and handed out eight assists in Sunday’s win.

“They’re efficient,” Warren said. “They’re on a mission. You can tell they’re driven and they’re playing with a purpose.”

Iowa State gets ready for Big 12 play

The Cyclones finished off non-conference play with a 12-0 record. While the schedule wasn’t overly demanding, Iowa State does have some nice wins. The Cyclones handed Indiana its first loss during the Coconut Hoops event in Florida. Iowa State also beat in-state rivals Drake, Iowa and Northern Iowa to win its first unofficial state title since 2021.

“We take great pride, great pride in winning all of our in-state games,” Fennelly said. “Some people think it’s not a big deal. We think it’s a huge deal and we take that seriously.”

The victories could be nice resume-builders for Iowa State on Selection Sunday if the Cyclones need an at-large bid. But the true success of the season will be judged on Big 12 play. The Cyclones, who were picked to finish second in the league, begin with Kansas on Dec. 21 at Hilton Coliseum.

“We’re ready,” Fennelly said. “It’s time.”

Tommy Birch, the Register’s sports enterprise and features reporter, has been working at the newspaper since 2008. He’s the 2018, 2020 and 2023 Iowa Sportswriter of the Year. Reach him at tbirch@dmreg.com or 515-284-8468.

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Iowa

Eight months after the fact, board discloses charges against Iowa nurse

Published

1 hour ago

June 12, 2026

Press Room

Eight months after the fact, board discloses charges against Iowa nurse

POLK COUNTY, Iowa (Iowa Capital Dispatch) – Eight months ago, a state licensing board charged an Iowa nurse with multiple regulatory violations, including soliciting or accepting money from a patient. This week, for the first time, the Iowa Board of Nursing publicly disclosed those charges.

The records show the board has charged Abbriel Rae Mitchell, 44, of Roland with five separate regulatory violations: violating patient confidentiality or privacy rights; soliciting, borrowing, or misappropriating money or property from a patient; committing an act that causes physical, emotional or financial injury to a patient; participating in or attempting to initiate a sexual, social or business relationship with a patient; and engaging in behavior that is contradictory to professional decorum.

As is customary with the Board of Nursing, it has publicly disclosed no information as to the alleged conduct that gave rise to the charges or indicated when or where that conduct is alleged to have taken place.

State records indicate the board’s investigation of the matter was initiated in 2024. The charges were formally approved by the board on Oct. 8, 2025, but were made public only this week in the Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals and Licensing’s official Notice of Board Action for the month of June 2026.

It’s not clear why the charges were not publicly disclosed last year. In recent months, DIAL has indicated questions about the numerous licensing board errors and lengthy delays in public disclosure of disciplinary charges are best directed to the Iowa Attorney General’s Office. That office has, in turn, referred such questions back to DIAL.

Board records indicate Mitchell was first authorized to work in Iowa as a licensed practical nurse in July 2005.

A hearing on the charges against her is scheduled for Oct. 15, 2026.

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Iowa

Iowa State women’s basketball, home-and-home league opponents announced

Published

12 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Iowa State women’s basketball, home-and-home league opponents announced

The Iowa State women’s basketball team will face a trio of its old Big 8 opponents at home and on the road next season during conference play.

The Cyclones’ home-and-home league partners for the 2026-27 campaign are Kansas, Kansas State and Oklahoma State, the Big 12 announced June 11.

Iowa State’s home-only opponents are BYU, Colorado, Houston, TCU, Texas Tech and Utah. The Cyclones get Arizona, Arizona State, Baylor, UCF, Cincinnati and West Virginia on the road only.

The unbalanced schedule — with just three home-and-home opponents — has been in place since the league expanded to 16 teams.

It will be a pivotal season for the Cyclone program after losing nine players to the transfer portal, including stars Audi Crooks, Addy Brown and Jada Williams.

Dates, times and broadcast information will be released later this summer.

Iowa State columnist Travis Hines has covered the Cyclones for the Des Moines Register and Ames Tribune since 2012. Contact him at thines@amestrib.com or (515) 284-8000. Follow him on X at @TravisHines21.

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Iowa

Rob Sand says audit shows PBMs may be overcharging Iowa taxpayers

Published

22 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Press Room

Rob Sand says audit shows PBMs may be overcharging Iowa taxpayers

State Auditor Rob Sand said pharmacy benefit managers who work with Iowa’s Medicaid program appear to be overcharging taxpayers by using prohibited pricing techniques.

But Sand said he wasn’t able to get a full picture of the financial impact to the state’s Medicaid program because the three pharmacy benefit managers that work with Iowa Medicaid did not provide certain financial records and other information his office requested.

“We believe that Iowans deserve to know how their tax dollars are being spent and that PBMs shouldn’t be allowed to rip off taxpayers by hiding behind what they say is proprietary information,” he said at a news conference Wednesday, June 10.

At issue is the use of what is known as effective rate pricing, which Sand said allows PBMs to claw back payments previously made to pharmacies at the end of the year. That results in “spread pricing,” which the audit says occurs when the PBM receives a larger reimbursement payment from the Medicaid managed care organization it works with than the PBM pays to the pharmacy.

Sand said spread pricing is prohibited under Iowa Medicaid.

“It can inflate costs for taxpayers, reduce the quality of care and create financial hardships for pharmacies,” he said. “That’s especially true for the independent pharmacies in smaller communities.”

Sand’s office released a report Wednesday covering transactions from 2019 to 2021. While incomplete, he said it showed the effective rate reconciliations for one of the three PBMs that works with the state totaled $100 million over that time period.

“That’s $100 million that Iowa taxpayers may have been overcharged,” Sand said. “We believe it to be even more than that because despite the fact that we made repeated requests and negotiated, the PBMs still at the end of the day withheld critical financial information.”

Sand said his office hired a firm called 3Axis Advisors that has performed similar work in other states to assist with the audit, at a cost of about $30,000.

Sand’s report recommends banning year-end reconciliations and requiring PBMs, managed care organizations and other state contractors to provide unrestricted access to information for the auditor’s office.

The report says there should be additional regulations on PBMs to separate Medicaid payments from non-Medicaid payments and to remove pricing variability from PBM contracts.

Sand, a Democrat who is the party’s nominee for governor, earlier this year released a health care platform pledging to crack down on pharmacy benefit managers.

Last year, Iowa lawmakers passed legislation placing several new regulations on PBMs, including requiring them to pay higher reimbursement rates to pharmacies.

A federal judge partially blocked portions of the law last summer while a lawsuit is pending from a coalition of business groups. It is awaiting an appeal.

Sand praised the law as “very good” but said “I think there’s a lot more that could be done.”

“The regulations that were contained in it would prevent some abuses,” he said. “But again, I think it’s very important to emphasize that auditors need to have access to this information to make sure that taxpayers are being protected, and they’re not being ripped off.”

Heather Nahas, a spokesperson for Gov. Kim Reynolds, said Iowa has recovered hundreds of thousands of dollars in improper fees charged to pharmacies.

“For the last several years, Gov. Reynolds and Iowa lawmakers have been leading the fight against abusive PBM practices, advancing reforms, strengthening oversight and defending those efforts against repeated challenges,” she said in a statement.

Nahas called Sand’s report “irrelevant and outdated,” saying the data he looked at does not reflect current practices at Iowa’s Department of Insurance and Financial Services or Medicaid pharmacy oversight.

Nahas said the report includes recommendations that Iowa Medicaid implemented more than three years ago.

“The auditor may be late to the game, but he’s finally arrived at the same conclusion that Iowans, the Republican legislature, and the Reynolds administration have known for years: PBM practices demand scrutiny, transparency and reform,” she said. “The difference is we’re doing something about it.”

Sand said his efforts to gather data were delayed by resistance from the PBMs and by a Republican-passed law, Senate File 478, that blocks the auditor from going to court against other state entities to force them to turn over documents.

“It took absolutely forever to get all of this data, to go back and forth with the PBMs, to evaluate legal claims about trade secrets or about SF 478,” he said. “And so as usual with this industry everything is much murkier and slower moving than any reasonable person would expect.”

Stephen Gruber-Miller is the Capitol bureau chief for the Des Moines Register. He can be reached by email at sgrubermil@registermedia.com, by phone at 515-284-8169 or on X at @sgrubermiller.

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