April 15 – Brooklyn, New York – Caitlin Clark was picked number one overall in the WNBA draft last week, the event averaged 2.45 million viewers and peaked at 3.09 million. The previous record was 601,000 from 2001. Clark is the highest draft pick to come from the Iowa Womean’s Basketball program, the previous high was Toni Foster, who went eighth overall in 1997. Caitlin will join the Indiana Fever, and also become teammates with former South Carolina center Aliyah Boston, who Clark beat in the Final Four in 2023.
One surprise on the night was Kate Martin going 18th overall to the defending WNBA champions, the Las Vegas Aces. Martin says she was attending to celebrate her teammate and didn’t expect to hear her name called.
“All I wanted was an opportunity and I got it. I’m really excited” (ESPN), Martin said after getting selected. It’s undoubtedly true that Martin’s draft stock increased greatly throughout Iowa’s March Madness run to the National Championship, where she was reliable in all aspects of the game for the Hawks, and was playing her best basketball. Notably putting up 21 points in the Elite Eight game vs. LSU, and also putting up a double-double in the round of 64 vs. Holy Cross.
Caitlin Clark on the other hand, was a shoe-in for the number one overall pick from the moment she declared for the draft on Feb. 29. She was so much of a shoe-in that the Indiana Fever were posting graphics of her as far as 22 days before the draft, and the Phoenix Mercury were advertising their game vs. the Fever as ‘The Goat vs. The Rook’ before Clark was drafted. They are referring to Diana Taurasi, who has said some weird things regarding Caitlin Clark’s fame in the past.
Clark and Martin being drafted marks Iowa’s first time having two womean selected in the draft since 1998. Martin will join her former Hawkeye teammate, Megan Gustafson on the Aces. Gustafson is a former Naismith Player of the Year, AP Player of the Year, and First Team All-American at Iowa (2019). She’s also a two time Big Ten Player of the Year (2018-19). Gustafson and Martin were both on the team in 2019, Martin did not play that season due to anand ACL tear that happened during preseason practice.
Cailtin will make her preseason debut with the Fever on May 3 at seven P.M. She will debut in the regular season on May 14 vs. the Connecticut Sun.
Kate Martin will debut vs. the Phoenix Mercury on May 14. Clark and Martin will face off for the first time on May 25 in Las Vegas.
