Kate Martin

Kate Martin (born June 5, 2000) is an American professional basketball player for the Las Vegas Aces of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA).

She played college basketball for the Iowa Hawkeyes.

She was selected in the second round (18th overall) by the Aces in the 2024 WNBA draft.

Martin attended Edwardsville High School in her hometown of Edwardsville, Illinois.

Martin captained the Iowa Hawkeyes for four seasons, playing alongside two-time national player of the year Caitlin Clark.

She helped lead Iowa to their first national championship game as a senior in 2023 and helped Iowa return to the national title game the following year.

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.

Martin started playing basketball at age five, participating in local recreational leagues and playing pickup at the YMCA.

Starting in elementary school, she frequented basketball camps at University of Iowa every summer and slept with an Iowa women's basketball poster above her childhood bed.

Martin also played boys' 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 seventh grade, as well as Martin's 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 AAU basketball program and went 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 three 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, Martin's basketball team claimed victory at the 2013 eighth grade IESA Class 4A state championship, finishing with an undefeated 28–0 season, while her volleyball team placed third at the 2014 eighth grade state championship.

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, Martin did not see many minutes on the court, coming 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 three 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 suffered 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-one-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 on 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, 2.9 assists, and 2.1 steals per game with 63.9 field-goal, 50.9 three-point, and 80 free-throw percentages.

As team captain, Martin led the number-one-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 postseason 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 four years of varsity volleyball as an outside hitter at Edwardsville.

She helped lead her team to 108 wins, two SWC titles, two 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.

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 continued to receive offers from Division I programs including DePaul, Illinois, St. Louis, and Wisconsin, among others.

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.