During an Iowa-heavy night in Las Vegas, Indiana Fever superstar rookie Caitlin Clark opened up about her former Hawkeyes colleague and Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin.
Clark, the first pick in the WNBA draft, played four seasons with Martin and made two Final Four trips. Their final Hawkeyes dance nearly did not happen between the two stars.
“And I was the person that kind of begged her to come back for her sixth year,” Clark told reporters before the Fever’s 99-80 loss to the Aces on May 25. “So I’m sure she doesn’t regret that at this point.”
While Clark dominated Martin and Iowa in the early stages of their WNBA careers, Martin held the advantage on May 25. Martin scored 12 points, while Clark had eight.
The two former Iowa teammates engaged in a heartfelt pregame talk and embrace.
Just a couple of @IowaWBB turned pro 🥹
Kate x Caitlin 🫶#ALLINLV pic.twitter.com/ZVYyZma5Lg
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces) May 26, 2024
“Kate’s obviously one of my best friends,” Clark stated. “But, yes, we’ve talked every day. I have phoned and texted her every day. I’m very pleased for her, and everything Coach [Becky] Hammon says about her is so true. And everyone who played at Iowa and was involved with our program knows this to be true.”
“She is the ultimate teammate. She is the ultimate human. The ultimate leader. “She’s going to do everything she can for her team,” Clark said. “Just super unselfish person and honestly, she’s just a winner.”
Kate Martin: ‘It was weird’
Martin found it “weird” to see each other in different uniforms.
“It was weird, I’m not gonna lie,” Martin remarked in the postgame TV interview. “Just looking out on the floor and seeing her wearing a different jersey than mine was evident. But it’s great fun. We’re both living our dreams right now, and we’re both able to compete at the greatest level, so we’re both quite grateful for the opportunity.”
Iowa coaches and fans turned out to watch the former Hawkeyes compete at Michelob Ultra Arena in Paradise, Nevada. Megan Gustafson, a former Hawkeyes star, is also on the Aces’ roster and played eight minutes despite foul trouble.
“It’s wonderful to see former college coaches sitting courtside next to the bench, but… “Las Vegas just has a fun environment, and this is a really fun team to be a part of,” Martin said. “I feel really grateful to be a part of this organization and have the fan support that we do here, and that’s cool a lot of Hawkeye nation can come out tonight as well.”
Kate Martin finds a niche on Aces, while Caitlin Clark struggles with fever.
Martin was drafted in the second round by the Aces (3-1) this year, and she has already made an impression for the defending WNBA champs. She plays 20.5 minutes per game, averaging 1.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists.
Clark’s debut season had a drastically different feel as she averages 16.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for a 1-6 Fever team. Her most recent outing marked the second time she failed to reach double figures.
Clark became renowned as a scoring machine at Iowa, scoring an NCAA record 3,951 points.
Matthew Davis reports on the NFL, WNBA, and collegiate athletics for Heavy.com. He has been covering Minnesota prep sports for the StarTribune since 2016. More on Matthew Davis.
