Shocked about Caitlin Clark
Caitlin Clark Revealed She âBeggedâ Kate Martin to Stay at Iowa
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 didnât happen between the two stars.
âAnd I was the person that kind of begged her to come back for her sixth year,â Clark told reporters before a 99-80 Fever loss to the Aces on May 25. âSo Iâm sure she doesnât regret that at this point.âWhile 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.Kateâs obviously one of my best friends,â Clark said. âBut, yeah, weâve talked every single day. Iâve called her and texted her every single day. Iâm 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.â
âSheâs the ultimate teammate. Sheâs the ultimate person. Ultimate leader. Sheâs going to do whatever she can for her team,â Clark added. âJust super unselfish person and honestly, sheâs just a winner.â
Kate Martin: âIt Was Weirdâ
Martin called it âweirdâ to see each other in different uniforms.
âIt was weird, Iâm not gonna lie,â Martin said in the postgame broadcast interview. âJust looking out on the court and seeing her in a different jersey than me, it was obviously different. But itâs really fun. Weâre both living out our dream right now, and we both get to compete at the highest level, so weâre both really grateful for that opportunity.â
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.
âItâs 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 itâs a really fun team to be a part of,â Martin said. âI feel really grateful to be a part of this organization and have the fan support that we do here, and thatâs cool a lot of Hawkeye nation can come out tonight as well.â
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 sheâs 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.
Clarkâs 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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