Caitlin Clark had taken away all the attention at Iowa Hawkeyes. The point guard played for Iowa from 2020 to 2024 and broke the NCAA’s all-time leading scoring record for both men’s and women’s in her final year. She bagged over 46 records as a collegiate player. While Clark has enjoyed the hard-earned fame, there is someone who deserves a mention too. Who is it?

It is Iowa alum, Kate Martin. No wonder Sydney Affolter took a couple of moments to appreciate Martin for her leadership skills. Affolter, after the graduation of Clark’s batch, will now be captaining the Hawkeyes. Taking note of the same during a media session on Thursday, she divulged who she would be emulating this year. When the interviewer asked Affolter about Martin, she said:

“Kate (Martin) was an amazing role model for me and someone to learn from as a leader. I think I’ve always had that confidence to be a leader and to be that voice that people look up to. And me and Kate are very similar and our personalities and also the way that we play, and you know the way that she led our team she, was able to bring everyone together. And you know, be that voice that everyone’s able to look up to, and everyone gather. So I’m excited to be that voice this year and be that leader,” Affolter told The Hawkeye Report.

Kate Martin was the captain of the Hawkeyes for four seasons from her sophomore year onwards. She, with her vision, led the Lisa Bluder-coached team to two NCAA Championship Finales in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Described as the enforcer for the Hawkeyes, she is said to have given the team a track to follow with her exceptional foresight.

Clark would agree with Affolter’s words. Back in 2023, while talking about Martin, Caitlin Clark shared, “Kate is just an incredible individual. She’s somebody that will always reach out to you if you have something going on, and honestly, if you never tell her you have something going on, she’s going to figure it out herself because she just has that leadership instinct inside of her.”

“She’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around in my entire life, maybe will be the best leader I’ve ever been around for my entire life.”

Even the then-head coach Bluder and her assistant and the current head coach Jan Jensen had spoken highly of Martin’s leadership skills. Many fans referred to her as ‘the glue’ that binds the team together. She was so important she decided to use the extra year of eligibility given to her and returned to the Hawkeyes in 2023 for one more year. Probably it was her low-key quality that helped the team. And certainly, Affolter can learn a lot from her.

Kate Martin has gained a major fan following over time

“I honestly didn’t expect to have any fans when I came here… I don’t really get it if I’m being honest,” Martin spoke about her WNBA rookie year with the Las Vegas Aces.

Drafted in the second round by the Aces, Martin did not expect much. Hence, she was surprised when her Aces’ jersey sold out, just four games into this W season. From there, the Martin craze picked up so much that at one time fans, Martinis as they call themselves, were disappointed with the 2x WNBA Champions for not playing the rookie.

In Indiana Fever and Las Vegas’ clash after the Olympic break in September, many fans wished for a good matchup between the two ex-teammates Martin and Clark. However, the Aces’ head coach Becky Hammon played spoilsport to their plans by benching the Illinois-born.

The game against the Fever was the third game where Kate Martin received zero minutes. Prior to her benching, Martin was playing 11.2 minutes per game and averaging 2.5 points, 1.5 rebounds, and 0.8 assists on the season.

While Martin, even in the subsequent games, didn’t match up to the caliber of any formidable names in the league, she has amassed a good fan following. Hopefully, during her W career, she will get all she deserves while being looked up to as a leader not only by Affolter but by other W stars as well. What do you think?