Meet the All-Iowa girls basketball award winners for the 2022-2023 Iowa high school season
The Des Moines Register is honored to announce its 2023 All-Iowa girls basketball award winners for the 2022-23 high school season.
This year's selections include both Player and Coach of the Year. The selections were made based on in-season results, Register staff observations and consultations with basketball contacts throughout the state.
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2023 All-Iowa Girls Basketball Player of the year: Audi Crooks, Bishop Garrigan
After turning in a fabulous junior season that netted Bishop Garrigan its first state championship in Class 1A, Iowa State signee Audi Crooks delivered quite the encore this March.
Crooks turned in the most dominant state tournament run in Iowa 5-on-5 history to cap off a senior season for the ages with a second state championship for the Golden Bears.
"Coming off of last year we knew we were going to get everyone's best shot," Crooks said. "We used that as a chip on our shoulder. We focused on the little things and everyone came together."
Crooks enjoyed a senior year that saw her average 32.9 points on 75.2% shooting from the field. The 6-foot-3 center also averaged 13.3 rebounds, 2.8 blocks and 2.4 assists in helping Bishop Garrigan go 26-1.
For her career, Crooks tallied 2,733 points, the third most in state 5-on-5 history. She set the single-season scoring mark her senior year with 889 points.
Crooks saved her best for last. She averaged 39 points, 13.3 rebounds and 3.7 blocks and shot 81% from the field during the state tournament.
More:Bishop Garrigan basketball star, Iowa State signee Audi Crooks inspired by her late father
Crooks went for a then-state 5-on-5 record 42 points and added 14 rebounds during Bishop Garrigan's 67-44 1A state quarterfinal victory over Martensdale St. Marys. She followed that up with 26 points on 10-of-11 shooting and 10 rebounds in a 73-39 semifinal win over Remsen St. Mary's on March 3.
The following day she led the Golden Bears past Newell-Fonda, 68-57, by breaking her own single-game scoring mark with 49 points.
Crooks made 21-of-27 field goals and 7-of-10 free throws in the championship game. She also pulled down 16 rebounds and blocked three shots.
After the tournament was over she gave the 1A championship trophy a big kiss. Crooks said she couldn't be more thankful for her time as a Bishop Garrigan Golden Bear.
"The Bishop community has been so supportive over the last four years and to know I was a part of building that program — I'm very proud of that," Crooks said. "Now I'm very excited to go to Ames and try to make an impact there."
2023 All-Iowa Girls Basketball Coach of the Year: Doug Winterfield, Sioux Center
The rest of the state might not have seen it coming, but Doug Winterfield knew his Sioux Center team had the potential to do a lot of damage during the 2023 girls state basketball tournament.
The Warriors entered the tournament as the No. 6 seed in Class 3A. Even though they had five losses, several girls knew how to win after helping Sioux Center make it to state in golf, track softball, cross country and volleyball during the previous year.
"I wasn't paying attention to the records," Crooks said. "I was just trying to win games."
Combine that experience with Winterfield’s ability to instill a team-first mentality to perfection and the end result was a surprise state championship run, capped by a 62-47 victory over fourth seed Benton in the 3A title game on March 3.
“We stressed that each game was just another game and did not hype them too much,” Winterfield said. “This team really got along well and meshed at the right time.”
Sioux Center crushed 3-seed West Marshall in the quarterfinals, 79-53, then held off 2-seed Solon in the semifinals, 46-44, to reach the title game. The three-game stretch saw big contributions from nearly everyone on the roster.
Willow Bleeker averaged 13.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists as the 3A all-tournament team captain. Tatum Schmalbeck was an all-tournament selection after averaging 9.3 points and 2.0 steals, Makenna Walhof put up 10.3 points per game, Cori Harald added 7.0 points per contest and Reagan Jansen shot 75% from the field.
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For the season, Bleeker was the only player to score in double figures at 12.3 per game and she also averaged 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists. Schmalbeck averaged 8.2 points and 2.2 assists, sophomore Margo Schuiteman posted 8.3 points per game, Walhof contributed 7.1 points each contest, Harald chipped in 6.9 points a night and sophomore Makailyn Vander Waal added 6.5 points.
“Any player on the floor had the green light,” Winterfeld said. “They were very unselfish.”
Bleeker, Schmalbeck, Walhof, Jansen and reserve Taya Gesink are all seniors who will go on to play different sports at the next level.
Winterfield made his fifth trip to the state tournament during his 23 years of coaching the Warriors. He now has 380 victories.
This year’s Sioux Center team finished 21-5 and gave Winterfield his first state championship.
“Taking a step back and letting the team enjoy that was very rewarding,” Winterfield said. “It’s still a little unbelievable.”
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Audi Crooks, Doug Winterfield win All-Iowa honors in girls basketball
