During an Iowa-heavy night in Las Vegas, Indiana Fever superstar rookie Caitlin Clark addressed her former Hawkeyes teammate and Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin.
Clark, the No. 1 pick in the WNBA draft, played with Martin for four seasons and reached two Final Four appearances. Their last Hawkeyes dance almost didn’t 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 a 99-80 Fever loss to the Aces on May 25. “So I’m sure she doesn’t regret that at this point.”
While Clark overshadowed Martin and Iowa in the early going of their WNBA careers, Martin had the upper hand on May 25. Martin scored 12 points as Clark mustered 8.
The two former Iowa teammates shared a touching pregame conversation and embrace.
“Kate’s obviously one of my best friends,” Clark said. “But, yeah, we’ve talked every single day. I’ve called her and texted her every single day. I’m just really happy for her, and everything Coach [Becky] Hammon says about her is just so true. And every single person that played at Iowa and was around our program knows that to be true.”
“She’s the ultimate teammate. She’s the ultimate person. Ultimate leader. She’s going to do whatever she can for her team,” Clark added. “Just super unselfish person and honestly, she’s just a winner.”
Kate Martin: ‘It Was Weird’
Martin called it “weird” to see each other in different uniforms.
“It was weird, I’m not gonna lie,” Martin said in the postgame broadcast interview. “Just looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different. But it’s really fun. We’re both living out our dream right now, and we both get to compete at the highest level, so we’re both really grateful for that opportunity.”
Iowa coaches and fans came out to watch the former Hawkeye stars compete at Michelob Ultra Arena in Paradise, Nevada. The Aces also have former Hawkeyes star Megan Gustafson on the roster, and she played eight minutes amid foul trouble.
“It’s really cool when your former college coaches are sitting courtside right next to the bench, but … Las Vegas just has a fun environment here, and it’s 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 Niche on Aces While Caitlin Clark Struggles With Fever
Martin joined the Aces (3-1) as a second-round draft pick this year, and she’s made an instant impact for the defending WNBA champions. She averages 1.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, and 1.5 assists in 20.5 minutes of play per game.
Clark’s rookie year has a much different feel amid her 16.7 points, 5.5 rebounds, and 6.2 assists for a 1-6 Fever squad. Her latest outing marked the second time she failed to score in double figures.
Clark became known as a scoring machine at Iowa amid an NCAA record 3,951 points.
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Caitlin Clark Revealed She ‘Begged’ Kate Martin to Stay at Iowa