“Caitlin Clark being so suspicious": Kate Martin gets nostalgic as she relives iconic Sue Bird memory

Kate Martin appeared as the latest guest on WNBA legend Sue Bird’s "Bird’s Eye View" podcast on Friday, where the two looked back on their first encounter, when Martin was still suiting up for the Iowa Hawkeyes alongside Caitlin Clark during the 2023 NCAA season.

The Hawkeyes were playing in Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena — Sue Bird’s old home court where she won WNBA titles with the Storm in 2004, 2010, 2018 and 2020 — when they met Louisville in the Elite Eight and Bird made a surprise appearance.

Kate Martin recalled that Caitlin Clark was unusually secretive just before the team found out Bird would be at the game.

“I just remember Caitlin being like so suspicious, being like, ‘Yeah, somebody's coming. Somebody's coming.’ And we’re like, ‘Who is coming?’ Obviously we were in Climate Pledge, and so then when we saw you walk, we were guessing. (6:00 mark)

“And so I think somebody guessed you (Bird), but like we had no idea, and so I just remember everyone being so excited. Obviously, all of us grew up watching you, and so that was just a really cool moment and to get us ready to go win some games.”

Sue Bird recalls sharing key March Madness advice with Kate Martin and Caitlin Clark’s Iowa

Sue Bird, who captured two NCAA championships with UConn in 2000 and 2002, reflected during the podcast with Kate Martin on a key piece of advice she gave to the Caitlin Clark-led Hawkeyes during that same Elite Eight run.

“I remember — just so people understand, … you hadn’t been to a Final Four yet, and you’re in this Elite 8 game about to play Louisville, (Hailey) Van Lith, the whole thing — and my advice, like the last thing I said was like, ‘Guys, this is the hardest game of the NCAA tournament.’

“I was like, ‘It doesn’t always go your way. There’s usually, like, a lot of swings.’ It just — for some reason — this feels like it’s the hardest. I think because if you lose, you kind of don’t get anything. You're just like the team that got to the Elite 8 as opposed to the team that got to a Final Four. So that was my parting words.”

Iowa ended up dominating that game, winning 97-83 behind a Caitlin Clark triple-double: 41 points, 12 assists and 10 rebounds. Kate Martin, who started at guard, added six points and five assists across 37 strong minutes.

“Within the first — who knows — couple minutes, you guys were smashing them. So I was like, ‘What terrible advice,’” Bird added.

Iowa went on to upset South Carolina 77-73 in the Final Four but ultimately fell to Angel Reese and LSU 102–85 in the national title game.