Caitlin Clark may be getting a ton of attention this season as she begins her rookie year in the WNBA with the Indiana Fever, but she's not the only former Iowa Hawkeye making their professional debut. Caitlin Clark's Iowa teammate Kate Martin was also drafted in the 2024 WNBA Draft by the Las Vegas Aces with the No. 18 overall pick. The Fever and the Aces were set to meet for the first time this season in what also represents Clark and Martin's first game as opponents. They shared a special moment before the game as per Dice City Sports.
Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin played together for four years at Iowa. Martin arrived ahead of the 2018-19 season but did not make her NCAA debut until the 2019-20 season due to injury. Clark arrived ahead of the 2020-21 season. Martin ended up playing five seasons for the Hawkeyes while Clark played four.
As teammates, they helped lead Iowa to back to back national championship appearances in the NCAA Tournament. They were defeated by LSU in 2023 and lost to South Carolina in 2024. Martin had gone to the WNBA Draft in support of Clark whom everyone knew was going to be the top overall pick by the Fever.
Martin did not receive an invitation from the league to attend the draft as players who are thought to be guaranteed draft picks are often granted. She ultimately ended up being drafted though as the Aces selected her in the second round.
Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin begin their WNBA careers
It's incredibly hard for incoming rookies to make WNBA rosters. In fact, out of the 36 players selected in the 2024 WNBA Draft, only 13 of them made it on opening day rosters. Caitlin Clark was never in any danger of not making the Fever roster, but Kate Martin was not guaranteed at all to make the Aces roster.
Martin ended up using a strong training camp and preseason to earn a roster spot with the defending champs alongside fellow rookie Dyaisha Fair. Martin has played in two of the Aces first three games of the season at a little over 20 minutes per game.
She's averaged 1.5 points, 3.5 rebounds and 1.5 assists. She's only shooting 12.5 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from the three-point line and has yet to attempt a free-throw. But she's a hustle type player who is going to infuse the lineup with energy and more often than not make the right play.
Clark on the other hand has had a mixed bag of reviews in her WNBA debut. The Fever have struggled to start the 2024 season going 0-5 before picking up their first win on Friday against the Los Angeles Sparks. Clark has been putting up decent numbers but hasn't shot the ball well and has had to adjust to the physicality of the WNBA.
Through the Fever's first six games, Clark has been playing a little over 32 minutes per game. She's been averaging 16.7 points, 5.5 rebounds. 6.2 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.0 blocked shots with splits of 38.3 percent shooting from the field, 30.8 percent shooting from the three-point line and 88 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
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