Iowa Hawkeyes captain and fan favorite Kate Martin is in her last year of eligibility and is having the best season of her career, averaging 12.2 points, 6.0 rebounds and 2.5 assists alongside Caitlin Clark.
The always-smiling guard recently showed off a gift of hot sauce dedicated to her with her picture and name plastered on it.
"Shoutout to whoever made these. I love it," Martin captioned her Instagram stories.
Kate Martin, 'The Glue' of Iowa
While the record-chasing Caitlin Clark is undisputedly the face of college basketball and the Iowa Hawkeyes, captain Kate Martin, nicknamed "The Glue" is a fan favorite.
The words of the 2018 Edwardsville (Iowa) High School, Iowa graduate, when sending her NCAA letter of intent, still echo with Iowa fans to this day.
"I've known I wanted to be a Hawkeye since I was five years old," Martin said. "It's been a long process, and I'm excited for it to be official."
In an interview with "The Intelligencer," Kate Martin talked about why she stays behind to sign kids' autographs after games. The frequent gesture has made her an idol for Hawkeyes fans.
“I grew up idolizing Iowa women’s basketball, as well, and I know what it’s like to be a kid looking up to those college basketball players," Martin said. "I keep that in the back of my mind. Anything you do to make a kid’s day special, you do it.
"When I was little, I know if I could have gotten a high-five from an Iowa women’s basketball player, I would have been excited.”
During the interview, the popular Caitlin Clark had nothing but kind words about Martin.
“She’s one of those people you can lean on,” Clark said. “She does a lot of dirty work, a lot of stuff that doesn’t show up on the stat sheet or in a news article. We’re wired the same. We’ll go at each other in practice, all in good fun, maybe gets a little serious sometimes. She’s one of those people, we’ll step off the floor, and we’re going to hug and be best friends.”
Regarding "The Glue" nickname, Martin had a simple answer.
“'The Glue' thing, I think it’s funny,” Martin said last week. “I don’t feel like 'The Glue,' but I try to live up to that name.”
Considered a Hawkeye legend, Kate Martin will hope that her swansong at fifth-ranked Iowa (19-2, 8-1 Big Ten) will end with a national championship even as she plays Robin to Caitlin Clark's Batman.
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