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Kate Martin Reveals Her 'First Impression' Of Caitlin Clark

Originally posted on The Spun | By Chris Rosvoglou | Last updated Jun 7, 2025 12:15 PM ET

Before becoming the NCAA's all-time leading scorer, Caitlin Clark was just a freshman trying to prove herself to Kate Martin and the rest of the Iowa Hawkeyes.

Clark came out of the gate firing on all cylinders, averaging 26.6 points per game as a freshman. In her final season of college basketball, she ended up averaging 31.6 points and 8.9 assists per game. She was unable to lead the program to a national title, but back-to-back Final Four appearances are nothing to scoff at.

Even though Clark did the heavy lifting for Iowa, she received plenty of help from Martin. The scrappy guard averaged 13.1 points per game during the 2023-24 season.

While there's no question Clark and Martin had chemistry on the court, their dynamic off it was even stronger. However, it wasn't always that way.

During a recent interview with Sue Bird, the former Iowa guard shared her initial impression of Clark.

"I had heard about this Caitlin Clark. I was watching videos of her dropping like 40 points in high school. I was like, 'Oh this girl thinks she’s gonna come here and rule the world.' And she came right in and ruled the world," Martin told Bird.

Martin wasn't done raving about her former Iowa teammate.

"I just remember we had that summer before and she was doing things that I had never seen before. As a freshman, to have that kind of confidence, not everybody has that. We knew she was going to be outstanding."

Clark's success at the collegiate level has carried over to the pros. The Indiana Fever guard was easily named WNBA Rookie of the Year in 2024.

As for Martin, she's enjoying a nice season with the Golden State Valkyries.

This article first appeared on The Spun and was syndicated with permission.

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