As soon as former Iowa star Kate Martin saw a compilation video of her time at Iowa, the emotions began to pour out. On Friday, Gabbie Marshall, Martin’s former teammate, shared a nostalgic collage on TikTok featuring several Hawkeyes players.
“I miss my girls 🤍 #bestfriends #mypeople,” Marshall captioned the post with Drew Holcome’s “Fine Your People” song playing in the background.”You got to find your people”Ones that make you feel alright””The kind you want to stay up with all night”
The lyrics perfectly align with the emotion of the video, which shows Marshall, Kate Martin, Caitlin Clark, Jada Gyamfi and other Iowa teammates laughing, celebrating and embracing each other over the past few seasons.
The clip hit Martin, who now plays for the Las Vegas Aces in the WNBA, right in the feels.
“Shush I’m crying,” Martin commented on the post.
Kate Martin’s comment
The clip hits even harder after realizing that Marshall announced her retirement this offseason and will never play basketball again. She declared for the WNBA draft in April but went undrafted. She then decided to retire and pursue a master’s degree in occupational therapy at UNC-Chapel Hill.
Kate Martin reflects on cherished memories beyond the court
After spending six years with the Hawkeyes, Kate Martin bid farewell to Iowa City this year as she begins her new chapter in life with Las Vegas. During those years at Iowa, Martin rose into one of the crucial players for Lisa Bluder’s team.
However, rather than things she achieved on the court, she believes connections and relationships built over the years hold a special place in her heart.
“I think I’ll just miss all the stuff in between, all the dinners, all the road trips, every locker room moment, all the time off the court with all my teammates as well,” Martin said.”I probably won’t remember any of the stats. … but I’ll just remember all the laughs and all the good times I’ve spent with my teammates. I just think I hope that I’ve impacted people in a positive way, little kids, adults whatever it is, I just hope that people know me as Kate the person, instead of Kate, the basketball player.”
Martin was the captain of the Hawkeyes for four years. In her senior year, she played a key role in leading Iowa to its first national championship game. She guided the team to reach the final again this year, but Iowa lost both times.
