"There's no way up from here": Iowa icon Kate Martin once had low expectations from the Hawkeyes after Elite Eight appearance in 2019
Kate Martin was a key part of the Iowa Hawkeyes' dominance over the last few seasons. The team displayed the potential of women's basketball, garnering more eyes to their finals than Dan Hurley's UConn Huskies. It was the first time that a women's NCAA final had more spectators than the men's.
While the basketball world could not anticipate the Hawkeyes' impressive run, Kate Martin could not predict it either. Instead, when the Hawkeyes came off an Elite Eight loss in 2019, she thought the program had reached its ceiling and would only downgrade from there.
"My freshman year, it fell like so long ago, we made it to Elite Eight that year," Martin said on the Fresh Tawk podcast hosteed by Jada Gyamfi. "Me, Monika [Czinano], Tomi [Taiwo] and Logan [Cook], we were like 'Guys what are we going to do? There's no way to go up from here, its all downhill from here' and then little did we know we would win another three big 10 championships," she added.
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Kate Martin's concerns could have stemmed from the program's record before her. The 2018-19 campaign was the best season the Hawkeyes had mounted to date under Lisa Bluder's coaching and marked their first Elite Eight appearance since 1993.
Despite an ankle injury, Kate Martin might not miss time
Kate Martin is currently in her rookie season, playing for the Las Vegas Aces. After averaging nearly 23 minutes in her first five WNBA games, she averages 15 minutes of action for 3.6 points, 2.0 rebounds and 1.2 assists alongside a nearly 40% three-point touch.
However, in her latest game against the Chicago Sky on July 17, she suffered an Achilles injury just two minutes into the game. Regarded as a season-ending unfolding, she was later downgraded to a tendon bruise.
Luckily, the game against Chicago was the Aces' last game before the WNBA's mid-season break because of the Olympics. With that, Martin now has a chance to make the most out of her rookie season and find her footing after the resumption of the league.