‘The Caitlin Clark Effect’ truly echoed league-wide in the WNBA. Viewership numbers rose multifold and women’s basketball suddenly got the recognition it long deserved. As a result, rookies suddenly had more eyes on them, and each game became make-or-break. Las Vegas Aces rookie, Kate Martin, who captained the Iowa Hawkeyes for 3 straight years and played alongside Clark, benefitted greatly too. Not in the piggyback sense, but through a joint effort.

Martin was the only captain that Clark played under en route to becoming the all-time leading NCAA scorer. While the now WNBA Rookie of the Year overshadowed all her teammates in Iowa, Martin’s contribution was invaluable. In 2023-24, when Clark’s career-high average of 31.6 PPG and 8.9 APG got women’s basketball into the spotlight, Kate Martin also recorded a career-high 13.1 PPG and 6.8 RPG.

Though many analysts warned about how Clark and other rookies, as is the norm, would fail in adapting to the WNBA’s physicality, they all proved them wrong. ‘The Glue’ has now revealed how their Iowa experience eased the transition into the WNBA. “The attention and following at Iowa for the last couple of years was at a pinnacle. Most viewed games… we were a part of a lot of those,” she said. “Having that experience, and we also had famous people sitting courtside, and coming and watching us. I still am in awe whenever I see Steph Curry sitting courtside, or Lebron James, or anybody sitting courtside. Like, that’s super cool.”

Certainly, the Hawkeyes, led by none other than the ‘Iowa sensation’ Caitlin Clark quickly became one of the hottest teams in the NCAA. From the point guard’s deep Logo-3s to her unmissable passing, the No. 22 was often compared to the likes of Stephen Curry with Bron, to date, being one of her biggest supporters.

She elaborated, adding, “But I’m glad that I got to experience that while I was in college as well. Because it’s been a smoother transition. Knowing the attention we got at Iowa and how to handle that, we’ve talked through that, and it’s a learning experience. It’s a learning curve. So not just coming into the WNBA and being hit with that right away, you know, being able to deal with that right before,” Martin concluded.

Though Clark’s Indiana Fever got knocked out in the first-round playoff series against the Sun, Martin’s Aces continued into the semi-finals. However, she hasn’t secured a permanent roster spot with Becky Hammon shortening the rotation mid-season and sticking to it.

Becky Hammon’s surprising decision to drop Kate Martin

During her final year with the Iowa Hawkeyes, Kate Martin had an enviable yet doomsday attitude. She was cherishing every moment of the team’s success but somehow felt that that was where her career would end. “Pretty soon, I’m not gonna be in these moments. I’m gonna be just a regular old Joe Schmo,” she said in an interview. “So, whatever… I’m enjoying it.”

But she couldn’t have been more wrong. To her surprise, the Aces drafted her 18th overall in the 2024 draft. On being proven wrong, she proved the Las Vegas’ choice correct. In her very first game, Martin scored 13 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists, shooting 5-of-7 from the field, including 3-of-3 from the deep. She quickly became a fan favorite, and her jersey was one of the top five best-selling jerseys in the league, and the best-selling one for the Aces, with MVP A’ja Wilson in second.

But the wave that should’ve kept extending upwards slowed down. Her average minutes-per-game dropped from 20.8 in May to 13.1 in June, and to 10.2 in July. While an Achilles injury in July could’ve justified head coach Hammon not playing her, the injury was just before the All-Star break, giving ample time for recovery. Yet, to make sure her team had a better chance of getting to their three-peat aim, Hammon sidelined the rookie.

USA Today via Reuters

While she has found a home in the ‘Sin City’, it is possible that the Aces might trade her in 2025 or the Golden State Valkyries select her in the 2025 expansion draft. As fans, we can only hope she gets more playtime.