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Kate Martin is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). She played college basketball at Iowa.

Early life

Martin was born on June 5, 2000, and grew up in Granite City and Edwardsville, Illinois.[1] She is the youngest of three children born to teachers, Matt and Jill Martin.[2][3] Since the age of five, she attended summer basketball camps at University of Iowa, hanging out with the players, coaches, and staff.[4][5] Growing up, Martin slept with an Iowa women's basketball poster above her childhood bed.[6] She started playing basketball at age five, participating in local recreational leagues and playing pickup at the YMCA.[7] Martin also played tackle football in elementary school and later took up volleyball.[2] Her dad was one of her first coaches, coaching her and her siblings' basketball teams up until the 7th grade as well as Martin's 4th grade football team.[7] In middle school, Martin began attending “Junior Hawk” and Iowa basketball camps every summer as a participant.[4] In fourth grade, Martin joined her local Amateur Athletic Union basketball program and would go on to play for the Blue Star St. Louis (now known as the Napheesa Collier Elite) throughout high school.[8][9] In seventh grade, Martin led her basketball team to the 2012 Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Class 4A state championship game, losing by 3 points in the final.[10] That same year, she helped her middle school volleyball team win the 2013 seventh-grade IESA Class 4A state championship in straight sets.[11][12] The following year, her basketball team would claim victory at the 2013 eighth grade IESA Class 4A state championship, finishing with an undefeated 28-0 season,[13][14] while her volleyball team would place third at the 2014 eighth grade state championship.[15][16]

High school career

Martin played four years of varsity basketball for Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois, under head coach, Lori Blade.[3][17] During her freshman season, Edwardsville went 30-1, winning the Southwestern Conference (SWC), regional, and sectional titles before falling to the eventual state champions, Benet Academy (and Martin's future Iowa teammate, Kathleen Doyle), in the Class 4A state quarterfinals.[18][19] As a freshman, she did not see many minutes on the court, coming in off the bench and averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.[18] Her game continued to mature, and she made herself into a guaranteed starter for her remaining 3 years at Edwardsville.[20] During her sophomore year in postseason play, Martin helped Edwardsville defeat Rock Island High School in the sectional championship by holding their freshman guard, Brea Beal, pointless in the first quarter.[21] Despite Martin's 13-point contribution in the game, her team would suffer a second straight state quarterfinal loss to Benet Academy, the eventual back-to-back 2016 state champions.[22][23] Martin earned Class 4A All-State fourth-team accolades from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA).[24][25]

As a junior, Martin surpassed 1,000 career points[26] and averaged 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game.[27] The number 1 ranked Edwardsville team[28] finished their 2016-17 season with a 32–1 record,[27][29] reaching the Class 4A state championship final where they were upset by Geneva Community High School, losing 41-40 with a last-second shot.[30][31] Martin was named to the IBCA All-State Class 4A second-team and was selected as an Associated Press (AP) All-State honorable mention at the conclusion of her junior season.[32][33] As a senior, Martin averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.88 assists, and 2.13 steals per game[34][35] with 63.9 field-goal, 50.9 three-point, and 80 free-throw percentages.[36] As team captain,[8] Martin led the number 1 ranked Edwardsville team[36] to their fourth consecutive SWC, regional, and sectional titles, and their second consecutive super-sectional championship title.[29][35] Her team finished the 2017-18 season with a 30–2 record[3] and reached their second consecutive Class 4A semifinal, ultimately finishing fourth in post-season tournament play.[20][34] At the end of her senior year, Martin's class finished with an overall record of 122-6, going undefeated at home all four years.[11][36] Martin led her team with the most points, rebounds, and assists during her senior season[8] and ended her high school basketball career with the fourth-most points (1,518) in Edwardsville High School history.[20][36] She received the 5th most votes for Illinois Miss Basketball 2018 award (losing the honor to Beal)[37] and was named to both the Associated Press and the IBCA Class 4A All-State first-teams as a senior.[38][39][40]

Martin also played 4 years of varsity volleyball as an outside hitter at Edwardsville.[29] She helped lead her team to 108 wins, 2 SWC titles, 2 regional championships, and a sectional championship.[8][41] She finished her high school volleyball career with a new school record for career block assists (194) and was also named to the All-SWC first-team her senior year.[11]

Recruiting

Martin was first recruited by NCAA Division I basketball programs during her sophomore year of high school, receiving an offer from Bradley.[1] During her high school career, she also received offers from DePaul, Illinois, St. Louis, and Wisconsin.[42][43] During her junior year, she was recruited by Iowa as a 2-3 (shooting guard/small forward).[17][42] On her car ride home from her official weekend visit at Iowa, Martin called the coaching staff and verbally committed to the Hawkeyes.[1][43] She announced this verbal commitment on Twitter in May 2017.[5] Martin formally signed her letter of intent in November 2017 and received a full athletic scholarship from the university.[27] By the end of her high school career, Martin was considered a three-star recruit with a scouting grade of 90 by ESPN.[4][34] In interviews, Martin has stated playing for Iowa was, "always the goal" and that committing to play there was "a no-brainer."[43] In sixth grade for an English assignment, she wrote a letter for her future self to be opened after graduating high school in which she wrote, "Hi Kate. When you're reading this, I hope you have committed to play basketball at the University of Iowa."[7]

College career

Martin redshirted her first season at Iowa in 2018–19 due to an ACL tear.[44] After playing limited time in 2019–20 while still recovering, she began starting and became team captain in 2020–21.[2] She received the nickname "the Glue" for her leadership and versatility.[2][45][46] She won the Iowa Big Ten Sportsmanship Award every year from 2021 to 2023.[44] She helped Iowa reach the 2023 NCAA championship game in her fifth year.[45] She recorded seven points, seven rebounds, and two assists in Iowa's upset of South Carolina in the semifinals.[47]

College statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  TO  Turnovers per game  PPG  Points per game
 Bold  Career high  †  Won a National Championship  *  Led Division I
Kate Martin NCAA statistics[48]
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG TO PPG
2018–19 Iowa Did not play due to injury
2019–20 Iowa 24 0 8.1 .328 .182 .750 1.8 0.8 0.3 0.1 0.7 2.4
2020–21 Iowa 30 30 30.7 .431 .354 .844 4.4 4.0 1.2 0.3 1.6 7.0
2021–22 Iowa 32 32 30.1 .453 .286 .740 4.9 3.5 1.1 0.7 1.9 7.2
2022–23 Iowa 38 38 28.3 .467 .414 .833 4.2 3.6 0.9 0.4 1.7 7.7
2023–24 Iowa 39 39 28.8 .507 .370 .864 6.8 2.3 0.9 0.5 2.0 13.1
Career 163 139 26.3 .464 .355 .824 4.6 2.9 0.9 0.4 1.6 8.0

Professional career

WNBA

After completing her final season of eligibility with Iowa, Martin declared for the 2024 WNBA draft.[6] Martin attended the ceremony in Brooklyn, New York in support of her former Iowa teammate, Caitlin Clark, being selected as the first pick overall in the draft.[49][50] From the audience, Martin was selected in the second round as the eighteenth overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces.[50][51]

On April 22, 2024, Martin was signed to the Aces' rookie scale contract.[52]

Off the court

Personal life

Martin's father, Matt Martin, played college football at Western Illinois University.[44] She has an older sister, Kennedy, who played basketball at Truman State, and an older brother, Trevor.[44] Martin's maternal aunt, Julie Fitzpatrick, is married to Iowa assistant coach, Jan Jensen.[5]

Many of Martin's aunts and uncles are former college athletes: Julie Fitzpatrick played basketball for Drake (scoring over 1700 career points), Tom Fitzpatrick played football for Drake, Matt Fitzpatrick played basketball for St. Ambrose, and Mitch Martin played football for Western Illinois.[1][7][53] Since 2021, Martin's maternal cousin, Laney Fitzpatrick, has run cross country and middle distance at the University of Iowa.[54][55]

Martin grew up and went to high school with NFL defensive end, A.J. Epenesa.[3][56] Additionally, Martin's dad was Epenesa's football and track coach during his time at Edwardsville High School.[57][58]

Business interests

During her time at Iowa, Martin signed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with Iowa and Quad Cities businesses, including Estela's Fresh Mex, Mel Foster Co., RAYGUN, and Zimmerman Honda.[7][59][60]

In popular culture

Martin appeared in the closing credits on the April 13, 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live, alongside her Iowa teammates, Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall, and Jada Gyamfi, after Clark made a surprise appearance on Weekend Update.[50][61]

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Iowa vs Wisconsin Preview, Purdue Recap, Special Guest Kate Martin". Talkin’ Hawks with The Vandebergs. October 9, 2023.
  2. ^ a b c d Linder, Jeff (January 4, 2024). "Kate Martin, 'The Glue' of the Iowa women's basketball team, is in the midst of 'the best times of my life'". The Gazette. Archived from the original on March 25, 2024.
  3. ^ a b c d Criddle, Dean (March 23, 2018). "Martin ends high school career with Player of the Year honor". Belleville News-Democrat.
  4. ^ a b c "A dream come true". AdVantage News. November 9, 2017.
  5. ^ a b c Bain, Matthew (May 1, 2017). "6-foot Illinois guard Kate Martin commits to Iowa's Class of 2018". Hawk Central.
  6. ^ a b Kamp, Matt (April 12, 2024). "What's next for Edwardsville grad Kate Martin?". Edwardsville Intelligencer.
  7. ^ a b c d e Allen, Olivia (April 7, 2024). "Kate Martin's sixth grade letter to herself was about playing for the Hawkeyes". Quad-City Times.
  8. ^ a b c d "Edwardsville Girls Basketball Co-Players of the Year". AdVantage News. May 1, 2018. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  9. ^ Faasen, Jim (July 15, 2017). "Blue Star seniors lean on one another to battle through tough summer". STL Today. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  10. ^ "2012 Class 7-4A Girls Basketball Game 8: Edwardsville Liberty vs. Morton JHS". IESA.org. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  11. ^ a b c Kamp, Matt (March 5, 2018). "End of an era for Pranger, Martin". The Edwardsville Intelligencer.
  12. ^ "2013 Class 7-4A Girls Volleyball Match 8: Edwardsville Liberty vs. Channahon". IESA.org. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  13. ^ "Edwardsville will look to grow up in 2014-15". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. November 25, 2014.
  14. ^ "2013 Class 8-4A Girls Basketball Game 8: Edwardsville Liberty vs. Chatham Glenwood". IESA.org. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  15. ^ Feeney, Brent (December 7, 2017). "Three-peat bid: Liberty Middle eighth-grade girls basketball team returns to IESA state tourney". RiverBender.com.
  16. ^ "2014 Class 8-4A Girls Volleyball Match 7: Edwardsville Liberty vs. Bourbonnais UGC". IESA.org. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  17. ^ a b Kamp, Matt (January 4, 2024). "Fan favorite Kate Martin's legacy at Iowa still being written". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  18. ^ a b "Edwardsville showcased its youth in 2014-15". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. March 9, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2024.
  19. ^ Korac, Louie (July 22, 2015). "Large-Schools Girls Basketball Coach of the Year Lori Blade of Edwardsville". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  20. ^ a b c Kamp, Matt (March 23, 2023). "EHS grad Kate Martin living large at Final Four". The Edwardsville Intelligencer.
  21. ^ Kamp, Matt (February 26, 2016). "Martin's defense helps Tigers advance back to quarters". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  22. ^ Eschman, Todd (March 6, 2016). "Sports Shorts: Is Blade through coaching the Tigers? Hardly!". Belleville News-Democrat.
  23. ^ "Benet Academy vs. Edwardsville, Super-Sectional Girls Basketball". NCTV17 Sports. March 1, 2016.
  24. ^ "2016 3A-4A Girls All-State Team". Illinois Basketball Coaches Association. Retrieved April 20, 2024.
  25. ^ "2015-16 IBCA Girls Basketball All-State Teams". Illinois High School Association. March 3, 2016.
  26. ^ Gerard, Madeline (March 3, 2017). "Kate Martin's final three-point shot pushes her over 1,000 points in career at Edwardsville". RiverBender.com.
  27. ^ a b c Feeney, Brent (November 9, 2017). "Edwardsville's Martin heading to Iowa to play for Hawkeyes". RiverBender.com.
  28. ^ Lance, Sam (February 2, 2018). "Girls Basketball Undefeated, Looks Toward Another Deep State Run". The Tiger Times.
  29. ^ a b c Kamp, Matt (April 4, 2024). "Before she was 'The Glue' at Iowa, Kate Martin was glue for Edwardsville". The Telegraph.
  30. ^ "Geneva Girls Basketball Beats Buzzer In Semifinal, State Championship Games En Route To First Title". Illinois High School Association. March 4, 2017.
  31. ^ Gerard, Madelaine (March 4, 2017). "Tigers lose heartbreaker 41-40 to Geneva on last-second shot by Hart". Ed Glen Today.
  32. ^ "2016-17 IBCA Girls Basketball All-State Teams". Illinois High School Association. March 3, 2017.
  33. ^ "2016-17 Associated Press Girls Basketball All-State Teams". Illinois High School Association. March 2, 2017.
  34. ^ a b c Hensley, Adam (June 18, 2018). "Women's basketball loses Martin for 2018-19". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  35. ^ a b Kamp, Matt (July 24, 2019). "Martin ready to go". The Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  36. ^ a b c d Korac, Louie (July 16, 2018). "Large-Schools Girls Basketball Player of the Year Kate Martin of Edwardsville". The Telegraph. Retrieved April 19, 2024.
  37. ^ Larkin, Will (March 22, 2018). "Belleville West's EJ Liddell is Mr. Basketball of Illinois; Rock Island's Brea Beal repeats as Ms. Basketball". Chicago Tribune.
  38. ^ "Tigers' Martin, Pranger named AP All-State First Team; CM's Eaton 3A Honorable Mention". The Telegraph. March 1, 2018.
  39. ^ "Terrific trio". AdVantage News. March 1, 2018.
  40. ^ "2017-18 IBCA Girls Basketball All-State Teams". Illinois High School Association. March 2, 2018. Retrieved April 24, 2024.
  41. ^ Feeney, Brent (October 9, 2017). "Kate Martin plays key role for Tigers' volleyball team this season". RiverBender.com.
  42. ^ a b Bain, Matthew (May 2, 2017). "'No greater feeling': Iowa commit Kate Martin fulfills lifelong dream". Hawk Central.
  43. ^ a b c Linder, Jeff (May 1, 2017). "Hawkeyes land junior guard from Illinois". The Gazette.
  44. ^ a b c d "Kate Martin". University of Iowa Athletics. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  45. ^ a b Worth, Cooper (February 20, 2024). "'She's our leader:' How Kate Martin is the heart and soul of the Iowa women's basketball team". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  46. ^ Bohnenkamp, John (July 28, 2023). "Kate Martin Leads By Example". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved March 25, 2024.
  47. ^ Kamp, Matt (April 1, 2023). "'(She's) an emotional leader': Martin, Hawkeyes stun Gamecocks in semis". Edwardsville Intelligencer. Retrieved March 26, 2024.
  48. ^ "Kate Martin Career Stats - NCAAW - ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved April 14, 2024.
  49. ^ Philippou, Alexa (April 15, 2024). "Indiana Fever select Iowa's Caitlin Clark No. 1 in 2024 WNBA draft". ESPN.
  50. ^ a b c Neumann, Sean (April 16, 2024). "Iowa's Kate Martin Went to WNBA Draft to Support Caitlin Clark — and Then Got Drafted Herself: 'A Lot of Emotions Right Now'". People. Retrieved April 16, 2024.
  51. ^ Tachman, Tyler (April 15, 2024). "Iowa basketball's Kate Martin drafted No. 18 overall by Las Vegas Aces in 2024 WNBA Draft". Des Moines Register. Retrieved April 15, 2024.
  52. ^ "Kate Martin - Transactions". acrossthetimeline.com. Across the Timeline. Retrieved April 25, 2024.
  53. ^ "Drake Women's Basketball - March 5, 2022" (PDF). March 5, 2022. p. 24.
  54. ^ "Laney Fitzpatrick - University of Iowa Athletics". University of Iowa Athletics.
  55. ^ Coss, Matt (November 11, 2020). "Assumption quartet signs with Division I programs". Quad-City Times.
  56. ^ Morehouse, Marc (August 20, 2018). "Iowa defensive line: A.J. Epenesa wears his heart on his shoulder". The Gazette. Epenesa is quick to point out that Kate Martin, a guard on the Iowa women's basketball team, is from Edwardsville and also grew up Hawkeye.
  57. ^ Zuniga, Jordan (November 2, 2018). "Family drives Hawkeye football's A.J. Epenesa". The Daily Iowan. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  58. ^ Fairburn, Matthew (April 29, 2020). "A.J. Epenesa and the 'walk-on mentality' that led him to the Bills". The Athletic. Retrieved April 17, 2024.
  59. ^ "Kate Martin "The Glue" Estela's Commercial". YouTube. April 2, 2024.
  60. ^ Hornstein, Blake (March 18, 2023). "The RAYGUN phenomenon: How a t-shirt company is revolutionizing NIL". Our Quad-City News.
  61. ^ Boren, Cindy (April 14, 2024). "Caitlin Clark showed up on SNL to dunk all over Michael Che". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 14, 2024.

External links

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kate_Martin_(basketball)