Kate Martin Inches Closer to Making WNBA

Iowa Rookie Survives Another Cut By Las Vegas Aces

Apr 15, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; Kate Martin poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

Kate Martin still has a week to go, but the former Iowa player is closing in on making a roster spot with the WNBA’s Las Vegas Aces.

Martin has survived the roster cuts of the last two days to stay on the Aces’ roster, which is at its 12-player limit heading into next Monday’s deadline to set rosters for the upcoming season.

The Aces waived forward Angel Jackson, who was a third-round pick of the team in last month’s draft, on Tuesday morning. That followed the cuts of three players on Monday.

Martin was a second-round pick of the Aces in April after a season with the Hawkeyes in which she averaged 13.1 points and 6.8 rebounds, helping lead Iowa to its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA tournament national championship game. Martin finished her career, which spanned six seasons overall with the Hawkeyes, with 1,299 points.

If Martin stays with the Aces, the team will have a significant Iowa presence on the roster.

Center Megan Gustafson, the 2019 national player of the year with the Hawkeyes who was the program’s all-time leading scorer until Caitlin Clark passed her this season, is in her first year with Las Vegas and will be beginning her sixth WNBA season. Gustafson played this winter for the London Lions, winning the EuroCup championship.

Kiah Stokes, whose father, Greg, played at Iowa, is entering her 10th WNBA season. She grew up in Marion, Iowa, and played for Connecticut in her college career.