Looking Forward to a Life in WNBA, Iowa’s Kate Martin Reminisces Growing Up Playing Different Sports With Her Brother

While Caitlin Clark took all the light for being the best at Iowa, Kate Martin cherished doing what she does best– leading. Known to be one of the best leaders in the Hawkeyes roster, Martin has made a name for herself. The WBCA student will now move to the professional leagues. However, before that, she discusses her life up to this point and the other sports she used to play as a child on his brother’s team.

Discussing the same with Jayo and Carlos on the SSN podcast, Martin talks about her other interests. She said, “I played all the sports, ran, track, well it was like a little club thing. I played basketball, I played baseball. I always played with the boys, I was on my brother’s basketball team. Didn’t wanna do any of the girl sports. I played tackle football with my guy friends too. I loved being around sports, that’s all we did growing up, just played outside.”

The Edwardsville native continued about her switch to basketball in high school in her hometown. Martin said, “Sports are a little more competitive there so I played basketball and volleyball from sixth grade through my senior year at high school.” ‘The Glue’ also talked about the reason why she chose basketball over volleyball was because the former has a lot of physical aggression. This is something that Lisa Bluder’s favorite is also known for as she would guard players of 6-ft-5 height and not be bothered by it. Now that she will be taking the same to the WNBA, how will she add to her team there?

Kate Martin just might bring out the Hulk in her in the WNBA

The experienced players in the WNBA usually take the rookies to be the ones who hold back. However, it does not seem like Martin will keep her toughness locked inside. While she is not a lottery pick, there are a handful of reasons why a professional team would want a talent like her. Along with the third-best scoring stats in Iowa, Martin also brings a great vision of the floor. In fact, in the game against UConn in the Big Dance semifinals, Kate Martin helped elevate the Hawkeyes over the Huskies.

In their Championship game loss to South Carolina, the No. 20 added 16 points and 5 rebounds. On average, she has contributed 13.1 points, 6.8 boards, and 2.3 assists as a fifth-year Hawkeye. Apart from the backcourt prowess of the point guard, she throws from beyond the arc with an average accuracy of 37% per game, further adding to her skill set.

Apart from her numbers, she is assertive, understands positions, takes charge, is emotionally available for her teammates, and most importantly, shows up when the team is in a crunch and turns the tides in their favor. According to the NCAA’s all-time leading scorer, she always knows when something is wrong with any of the players and would not mind talking it out.

With so many abilities and the versatility to perform any role in a team, Kate Martin is surely a catch. Now, she may join a roster that is now finding its new face like the Chicago Sky or be an addition to other rosters that are balanced but may need a leader. No matter what, we know that she is going to be one hell of a player now that her energy is solely for basketball. What are your thoughts on this?