The major highlight of the Golden State Valkyries WNBA Expansion Draft on December 6 was the Aces not protecting former Iowa Hawkeyes star and Las Vegas Aces standout Kate Martin, leading to her being chosen by the Valkyries for their inaugural roster.
In her interview with ESPN following the Valkyries’ selection of 11 players, Martin talked about reuniting with Valkyries head coach Natalie Nakase, who was an assistant coach for the Aces in the previous season.
Martin expressed her admiration for Coach Nakase, describing her as someone worth giving your all for due to her honesty, love, and support.
Not only Coach Nakase, but Iowa Hawkeyes head coach Jan Jensen, who worked with Martin during her time at Iowa, also shared excitement over the Valkyries selecting Martin, posting a congratulatory message on social media.
Jensen expressed joy for Martin’s new opportunity with the Golden State Valkyries and encouraged fans to support her in this new chapter.
Hey, Hawk Fans…we got another @wnba to cheer for!😀 Congrats, @kate_martin22 New team… new dream! We’re so happy for you & proud of you! Go Golden State Valkyries!👊🏼 Go Kate!🙌🏻😊 https://t.co/kKg00HbTKF
— Jan Jensen (@goiowa) December 7, 2024
Last season, two of the three Hawkeyes basketball alumni currently in the WNBA (Martin and Megan Gustafson) played for the Aces, while Caitlin Clark was with the Indiana Fever.
With the addition of the Golden State Valkyries, Jensen and the Hawkeyes fanbase now have a third WNBA team to support.
