Basketball Kate Martin

She played college basketball at Iowa.

Kate Martin

Martin with Iowa in 2024
No. 20 – Las Vegas Aces
Position	Guard
League	WNBA
Personal information
Born	(2000-06-05) June 5, 2000 (age 23)
Listed height	6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Listed weight	172 lb (78 kg)
Career information
High school	Edwardsville (Edwardsville, Illinois)
College	Iowa (2019–2024)
WNBA draft	2024: 2nd round, 18th overall pick
Selected by the Las Vegas Aces
Playing career	2024–present
Career history
2024–present	Las Vegas Aces
Career highlights and awards
Big Ten Outstanding Sportsmanship Award (2021) Second-team All-Big Ten (2024)

Martin was born on June 5, 2000, and grew up in Granite City and Edwardsville, Illinois. She is the youngest of three children born to teachers, Matt and Jill Martin. Since the age of five, she attended summer basketball camps at University of Iowa, hanging out with the players, coaches, and staff. Growing up, Martin slept with an Iowa women's basketball poster above her childhood bed. She started playing basketball at age five, participating in local recreational leagues and playing pickup at the YMCA. Martin also played tackle football in elementary school and later took up volleyball. Her dad was one of her first coaches, coaching her and her siblings' basketball teams up until the 7th grade as well as Martin's 4th grade football team. In middle school, Martin began attending “Junior Hawk” and Iowa basketball camps every summer as a participant. In fourth grade, Martin joined her local Amateur Athletic Union basketball program and would go on to play for the Blue Star St. Louis (now known as the Napheesa Collier Elite) throughout high school. In seventh grade, Martin led her basketball team to the 2012 Illinois Elementary School Association (IESA) Class 4A state championship game, losing by 3 points in the final. That same year, she helped her middle school volleyball team win the 2013 seventh-grade IESA Class 4A state championship in straight sets. The following year, her basketball team would claim victory at the 2013 eighth grade IESA Class 4A state championship, finishing with an undefeated 28-0 season, while her volleyball team would place third at the 2014 eighth grade state championship.

High school career

Martin played four years of varsity basketball for Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois, under head coach, Lori Blade. During her freshman season, Edwardsville went 30-1, winning the Southwestern Conference (SWC), regional, and sectional titles before falling to the eventual state champions, Benet Academy (and Martin's future Iowa teammate, Kathleen Doyle), in the Class 4A state quarterfinals. As a freshman, she did not see many minutes on the court, coming in off the bench and averaging 6.6 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. Her game continued to mature, and she made herself into a guaranteed starter for her remaining 3 years at Edwardsville. During her sophomore year in postseason play, Martin helped Edwardsville defeat Rock Island High School in the sectional championship by holding their freshman guard, Brea Beal, pointless in the first quarter. Despite Martin's 13-point contribution in the game, her team would suffer a second straight state quarterfinal loss to Benet Academy, the eventual back-to-back 2016 state champions. Martin earned Class 4A All-State fourth-team accolades from the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association (IBCA).

As a junior, Martin surpassed 1,000 career points and averaged 12.9 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists, and 2.7 steals per game. The number 1 ranked Edwardsville team finished their 2016-17 season with a 32–1 record, reaching the Class 4A state championship final where they were upset by Geneva Community High School, losing 41-40 with a last-second shot. Martin was named to the IBCA All-State Class 4A second-team and was selected as an Associated Press (AP) All-State honorable mention at the conclusion of her junior season. As a senior, Martin averaged 16.2 points, 5.9 rebounds, 2.88 assists, and 2.13 steals per game with 63.9 field-goal, 50.9 three-point, and 80 free-throw percentages. As team captain, Martin led the number 1 ranked Edwardsville team to their fourth consecutive SWC, regional, and sectional titles, and their second consecutive super-sectional championship title. Her team finished the 2017-18 season with a 30–2 record and reached their second consecutive Class 4A semifinal, ultimately finishing fourth in post-season tournament play. At the end of her senior year, Martin's class finished with an overall record of 122-6, going undefeated at home all four years. Martin led her team with the most points, rebounds, and assists during her senior season and ended her high school basketball career with the fourth-most points (1,518) in Edwardsville High School history. She received the 5th most votes for Illinois Miss Basketball 2018 award (losing the honor to Beal) and was named to both the Associated Press and the IBCA Class 4A All-State first-teams as a senior.

Martin also played 4 years of varsity volleyball as an outside hitter at Edwardsville. She helped lead her team to 108 wins, 2 SWC titles, 2 regional championships, and a sectional championship. She finished her high school volleyball career with a new school record for career block assists (194) and was also named to the All-SWC first-team her senior year.

Recruiting

Martin was first recruited by NCAA Division I basketball programs during her sophomore year of high school, receiving an offer from Bradley. During her high school career, she also received offers from DePaul, Illinois, St. Louis, and Wisconsin. During her junior year, she was recruited by Iowa as a 2-3 (shooting guard/small forward). On her car ride home from her official weekend visit at Iowa, Martin called the coaching staff and verbally committed to the Hawkeyes. She announced this verbal commitment on Twitter in May 2017. Martin formally signed her letter of intent in November 2017 and received a full athletic scholarship from the university. By the end of her high school career, Martin was considered a three-star recruit with a scouting grade of 90 by ESPN. In interviews, Martin has stated playing for Iowa was, "always the goal" and that committing to play there was "a no-brainer." In sixth grade for an English assignment, she wrote a letter for her future self to be opened after graduating high school in which she wrote, "Hi Kate. When you're reading this, I hope you have committed to play basketball at the University of Iowa."

Martin redshirted her first season at Iowa in 2018–19 due to an ACL tear. After playing limited time in 2019–20 while still recovering, she began starting and became team captain in 2020–21. She received the nickname "the Glue" for her leadership and versatility. She won the Iowa Big Ten Sportsmanship Award every year from 2021 to 2023. She helped Iowa reach the 2023 NCAA championship game in her fifth year. She recorded seven points, seven rebounds, and two assists in Iowa's upset of South Carolina in the semifinals.

College statistics

WNBA

After completing her final season of eligibility with Iowa, Martin declared for the 2024 WNBA draft. Martin attended the ceremony in Brooklyn, New York in support of her former Iowa teammate, Caitlin Clark, being selected as the first pick overall in the draft. From the audience, Martin was selected in the second round as the eighteenth overall pick of the 2024 WNBA draft by the Las Vegas Aces.

On April 22, 2024, Martin was signed to the Aces' rookie scale contract.

Personal life

Martin's father, Matt Martin, played college football at Western Illinois University. She has an older sister, Kennedy, who played basketball at Truman State, and an older brother, Trevor. Martin's maternal aunt, Julie Fitzpatrick, is married to Iowa assistant coach, Jan Jensen.

Many of Martin's aunts and uncles are former college athletes: Julie Fitzpatrick played basketball for Drake (scoring over 1700 career points), Tom Fitzpatrick played football for Drake, Matt Fitzpatrick played basketball for St. Ambrose, and Mitch Martin played football for Western Illinois. Since 2021, Martin's maternal cousin, Laney Fitzpatrick, has run cross country and middle distance at the University of Iowa.

Martin grew up and went to high school with NFL defensive end, A.J. Epenesa. Additionally, Martin's dad was Epenesa's football and track coach during his time at Edwardsville High School.

Business interests

During her time at Iowa, Martin signed name, image, and likeness (NIL) deals with Iowa and Quad Cities businesses, including Estela's Fresh Mex, Mel Foster Co., RAYGUN, and Zimmerman Honda.

In popular culture

Martin appeared in the closing credits on the April 13, 2024 episode of Saturday Night Live, alongside her Iowa teammates, Caitlin Clark, Gabbie Marshall, and Jada Gyamfi, after Clark made a surprise appearance on Weekend Update.