Kate Martin was hoping to be drafted Monday night, but didn’t know when or where. The Iowa guard was there to support teammate Caitlin Clark, who went No. 1 overall.
There was feeling Martin would be on some draft boards and could be selected at some point. But the unknown factor was real. Eventually, the Las Vegas Aces selected her with the No. 18 pick (second round).
The wholesome reaction can be seen below.
“Man, a lot of emotions,” Martin said to ESPN’s Holly Rowe on the WNBA Draft broadcast. “I’m really happy to be here. I was here to support Caitlin. But, you know, I was hoping to hear my name called and all I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. So I’m really excited.”
Clark tweeted out her reaction as she was bouncing between media availabilities during the broadcast.
Martin will suit up for the defending champions in Las Vegas. That’s an opportunity she won’t take lightly.
“Yeah, I’m super excited for the opportunity,” Martin said. “You know, I have a really good work ethic. But more than anything, I think I’m a very versatile player. I can score multiple levels and I can guard multiple positions, but I’m really excited to get there and I know I’m gonna give it all I got.”
Martin and Clark were a part of a historic time at Iowa over the last four years. Clark had the headlines but Martin was a key cog in the machine.
“I don’t know if you can really describe and put it into words this legacy. Honestly, I just hope we’ve brought a lot of people joy and we’ve brought a lot of people together,” Martin said said after the national championship. “I hear all the time about how many friends people have made in the stands just watching our games. We sold out every single home game this year at Carver.
“And everywhere we go, we have fans lining up wanting Caitlin’s autograph, our autograph. More than anything, our legacy is what we’ve brought to the state of Iowa, I think, and all the joy and the fun. It’s pretty cool to be coached by Coach Bluder and the culture she’s built at Iowa. I think just watching us, you can see the joy that we have. I think that’s the main thing for our legacy.”
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