Monday Musings: How About Kate Martin?

Iowa Standout Beating Odds in Finding Place in WNBA

Apr 15, 2024; Brooklyn, NY, USA; ESPN reporter Holly Rowe interviews Kate Martin poses with WNBA commissioner Cathy Engelbert after being selected with the number eighteen overall pick to the Las Vegas Aces in the 2024 WNBA Draft at Brooklyn Academy of Music. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports / Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports

IOWA CITY, Iowa - Full discloser, I didn't expect this to be happening for Kate Martin. Shoot, I'm surprised she's even playing in "The W", as the kids call it.

If you've ever watched it, the WNBA makes no bones about being filled with a bunch of grown-ass women. And with 12 franchises and only 144 total rosters spots, employment is hard to come by. Some first-round draft picks play sparingly and others fail to make the team. 

The NBA has 30 teams with 450 rosters spots or 306 more than The W. There are 1,696 openings in the NFL, and Major League Baseball has 780. 

Two-time defending WNBA champion Las Vegas selected Martin with the 18th overall pick of last month's draft. Plenty of folks were surprised. She wasn't. 

You don't do what Martin is doing lacking confidence. You don't win as many games as she did at Iowa without believing in yourself. Oh, by the way, she's also a skilled hooper with a basketball IQ through the roof. 

Martin walked off the court following another Aces' win Saturday night with an it-ain't-nothin-but-a-thing look on her face. She handled a post-game TV interview like a seasoned vet. 

It's all very amazing and surreal. The draft-night story was fun, but surely it'd be a struggle finding playing time with the world champs as a late second-round pick. Somebody forgot to alert Martint to her fate. 

The highlight of this story to date went down Saturday night in Las Vegas. Martin was reunited with her great friend and Hawkeye teammate, Caitlin Clark, who you may have heard of. Fans hoping to see them match up were rewarded as soon as Martin checked in and they guarded each other. 

What nobody expected, with the possible exception of Martin and her relatives, was to see her outscore Clark, 12-8. Martin added seven rebounds, a block and an assist in 22 minutes. 

Seriously, who saw that coming? 

Here's more perspective on Martin beating the odds: 

-Her current Las Vegas and former Hawkeye teammate, Megan Gustafson, was the 17th pick in the '19 draft. Iowa's second all-time leading scorer has had to scratch and claw to stay on the roster. She played eight minutes Saturday. 

-Martin is averaging 20.8 minutes through three games. That's the eighth most among all rookies. The seven players ahead of her were first-round picks or veteran signees from overseas. Her 5.0 rebounds a contest rank fourth among first-year players. 

-Last year's 18th overall pick. Madi Williams, is averaging 9.3 minutes a game this season. Lorela Cubaj, the 18th pick in the '22 draft, has appeared in four games the last two seasons. The success rate for previous players selected there is not good. 

We could go on, but you get the point: Don't doubt Kate Martin. 

BASEBALL BUMMER

An Iowa baseball season that started with incredibly high expectations ended with a thud last week in Omaha. The Hawkeyes went two-and-done in the double-elimination Big Ten Baseball Tournament. 

The campaign wasn't complete disaster. And considering the modest success of the program historically, finishing fifth in the conference during the regular season should not be taken for granted around here. 

Still, when you begin a year ranked 20th nationally by Baseball America and D1 Baseball, falling short of an NCAA Tournament berth is disappointing. Key injuries played a role in that, but the three starting pitchers that carried a lot a weight in the preseason rankings were mostly healthy. 

It's unlikely we see a trio as gifted as Brody Brecht, Marcus Morgan and Cade Obermueller anytime soon. Baseball America ranks all three hurlers within its Top 150 overall prospects for July's MLB amateur draft. Brecht checks in at 34 with Obermueller (120) and Morgan (148) also being highly regraded. 

Their performance this season could be classified as inconsistent. The team ERA was 5.79. 

The Hawkeye bullpen also struggled mightily in the early season. That coupled with the starters inconsistency may have cost pitching coach Sean McGrath his position after just two years with the program. 

McGrath's replacement could be searching for new weekend starters next spring. Brecht is off to the draft, the 34th pick estimated to carry a value of $2.7M. The estimate for the picks where Baseball America ranks Obermueller and Morgan would be about $500,000 each. 

Hopefully Iowa Baseball can rebound in '25. It feels like an important time for the future of the program and head coach Rick Heller. 

More musings this (Memorial Day) Monday...

-Payton Sandfort has until a Wednesday at 11:59 PM Eastern Time deadline to make his decision on whether to remain in the NBA Draft or return to Iowa for another season. It's proving to be a difficult one.  

Pre-draft prognostications show Sandfort being picked anywhere from late first round to early in the second . A consensus of mock drafts ranks him as the No. 47 overall player available. 

The Waukee graduate would be one of the top players in the Big Ten in '24-25 after leading his team in scoring (16.4 PPG) and rebounding (6.6 RPG), while ranking second in assists (2.7 APG) last winter. He'd also play alongside younger brother Pryce Sandfort for a second season. Those are attractive reasons to return. 

On the flip side, Payton will be 22 in July. The younger, the better when it comes to the NBA Draft. It will be difficult improving his draft stock much by coming back to Iowa, as we saw recently with Luka Garza. 

It's good news that Sandfort is choosing between two nice options through a lot of hard work. Here's to him being happy with his choice. 

-With June arriving on Saturday, expect the football recruiting news to pick up considerably. Official visits and prospect camps on campus usually mean a flurry of commitments. The Hawkeyes' 25 Class sits at seven verbal pledges for a group that will end up with 15-20 members. 

Iowa entered last June with 11 commitments. It added nine more in the next month and a half. 

Receiver is and should be a priority in this cycle. Terrence Smith (IL), Braylon Collier (OH) and Chase Collier (FL) are key targets at the position.