Iowa star Jada Gyamfi and WNBA rookei Kate Martin

Former Iowa Hawkeyes captain Kate Martin was not only unexpectedly drafted by the reigning national champions, the Las Vegas Aces, but she also survived several roster cuts to make the opening day roster. In the May 22nd game, a 98-88 loss to the Phoenix Mercury, she registered two rebounds in 14 minutes of action at Michelob ULTRA Arena.

Before the game, the team posted pictures of the players’ outfits, with Martin sporting an all-white ensemble of a shirt, shorts and shoes. Her former Hawkeyes teammate Jada Gyamfi, who has been actively supporting her friends in the WNBA on social media, hyped up the Aces star on her Instagram stories.

She captioned her story:

“Oh… my… goodness, 11/10, no notes, she ate,” Gyamfi wrote.

Gyamfi’s IG stories

Kate Martin impresses new teammates

During her Iowa Hawkeyes career, Kate Martin had the opportunity to play alongside perhaps the greatest shooter that college basketball has ever seen in Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark, and that trend is repeating itself in the WNBA.

She is teammates with standouts A’ja Wilson and Kelsey Plum on the defending champion Las Vegas Aces. Yet, they have all taken note of Martin’s work ethic that she embodied at Iowa. In an in-house interview, Plum heaped praise on the former Hawkeyes captain, highlighting the qualities that make her a special player to have around any roster.

“Kate Martin is awesome. Martin picks up things so quickly. She’s an amazing sponge,” Plum said. “We nicknamed her ‘Kate Money Martin,’ so I think that could stick because she really is.

“And when I say ‘Money,’ it’s not just about scoring and stuff. She’s just in the right place at the right time, making people better. And that’s what (head coach) Becky (Hammon) values, that’s what our coaching staff values and that’s why she’s going to be a great asset to our team.”

Martin has hurdled the difficult part of being a professional WNBA player, securing a spot on the opening day roster of the Aces after being drafted No. 18 overall in the second round of the WNBA Draft.

The WNBA rosters are notoriously difficult to get into because there are only a total of 144 spots in the whole league with each team only guaranteed 12 players. To establish just how much of a feat Martin’s inclusion is, only 15 of the 36 drafted players from last year’s draft appeared in a game, with only 8 making the opening day rosters.

Kate Martin showed her steel by battling through five training camp cuts and one signing to be included in the Las Vegas Aces roster.