Martin’s block heard ‘round Las Vegas highlights debut
By W.G. RAMIREZ
Las Vegas Aces 6-foot rookie Kate Martin blocks Los Angeles Sparks 6-foot-8 center Li Yueru’s shot in the fourth quarter on May 18. It was Martin’s debut.
PHOTO: Ethan Miller/Getty Images via Las Vegas Aces
With a little more than three minutes left in the first quarter of Saturday's matinee, Las Vegas Aces rookie Kate Martin made her WNBA debut.
And while her first points would come from a corner 3-pointer with 1:13 left in the first half, her signature moment arrived at the 7:49 mark of the fourth quarter.
From five feet away from the rim, Los Angeles Sparks 6-foot-8 center Li Yueru figured she had a clear path to the basket for a lay-up.
Martin - all 6 feet of her - had other plans.
Martin’s impeccable timing resulted in a vicious block Yueru never saw coming, and it was her veteran-like roar that sent the announced gathering of 10,286 into a frenzy and earned a chest bump from the only person on the court seemingly worthy to issue a "dawg-mentality-like" approval, veteran guard Kelsey Plum, better known as “Plum Dawg.”
"It was super exciting, but at the same time that's Kate, that's who she is," Aces star A'ja Wilson said. "She's high energy always in practice. So it was just a matter of time that it translates over to the game. So we were all excited and hyped for her."
Martin finished with three points, five rebounds, three assists, and the block heard ‘round Las Vegas in 26:10 of playing time.
"It felt really good," Martin said about her debut, immediately after the game. "A little nerves going into it, but those were off pretty quick. I was able to get into the flow of the game pretty quickly. They make it easy for me whenever I'm surrounded by such great players, doesn't make my job too hard.
"I just have to work really hard and do the little things and do my job, and so I thought I did a good job with that tonight. Obviously still a lot of room for improvement. But yeah, it was a great first debut."
To say the least, as her numbers don't tell the entire story.
Upon checking into the game, the first-year guard showed no fear in challenging Sparks veteran Layshia Clarendon. She challenged Kia Nurse at one point with a hand check the veteran quickly made the rookie pay for with a mid-range jumper.
Martin wouldn't be rattled, though.
She opened the second quarter with her first career assist, to former Iowa teammate Megan Gustafson. Shortly thereafter, she snared her first career rebound.
Her lone 3-pointer was part of a 15-0 run that erased a seven-point deficit and turned into an eight-point lead for the champs.
But it was her confidence and ability to adjust and blend in that impressed hard-nosed Aces coach Becky Hammon.
"I'll tell you this, whether Kate did this game right or wrong, she does it hard and she plays hard," Hammon said. "And her sense of urgency covers even if it may not be perfect. But her try-hard factor is so high that it kind of doesn't matter, she'll make up for it."
THE SHADOW
Since training camp broke, Martin's been tasked with shadowing reigning Sixth Player of the Year and three-time WNBA champion Alysha Clark, whose résumé should make any rookie proud to be in the vicinity of the 15-year pro, let alone her shadow.
"When players come into this league, it's a hard league and you can kind of lose yourself a little bit," Clark said. "For her to come in with just a gracious attitude every day to be here and understanding the opportunity that's in front of her, I think is where it starts. That is what's going to prolong her career in this league. Because everybody can do everything at this point. (But) it's like, 'Can you be a great teammate when you aren't playing? Can you be a great teammate when you are?' And so I think that's what really makes her special."
She had no choice but to learn about being a great teammate while playing for Iowa, alongside No. 1 overall pick and Indiana Fever rookie Caitlin Clark.
Her loyalty was even more apparent when videos showed her in attendance at last month's Draft to support her former teammate, not thinking the two-time defending champion Aces were going to select her 17 picks later in the second round with the 18th overall selection.
Martin said the moment she stepped into the team's facility she knew the opportunity she'd been presented with and wasn't about to take it for granted.
"I knew I was around some really cool people, some really great people, a championship culture," Martin said. "From that moment on I was like, 'Oh man I want to be a part of this team.' So, I was going to give myself the best opportunity to be a part of this team. I really hope to bring this team good culture, being a good teammate. We have amazing players, we have star players, Olympic players. My role is going to be a role player and so I want to support my teammates the best I can.
"I watch Alysha Clark all the time and I try to just pick up on every little thing she does because she's just a phenomenal player and she's a phenomenal leader. I want to be like her one day and so I really just try to watch her and emulate as much as I can of her. I'll never be her, but I just want to kind of emulate my game after her."
Martin’s also benefitted from having sixth-year pro Gustafson as a teammate once again, after the two played at Iowa together in 2019.
"She's been through the league, she's been through the highs, she's been through the lows and she's come out on the other side," Martin said of Gustafson, who is in her first season with the Aces, her fourth WNBA team. "Her perspective has been amazing to see. To bounce ideas off of her if I never need help with plays or maybe I had a bad practice, being able to go and talk to her it's been really nice. And it's good to have a familiar face."
NO PRESSURE
As tough as Hammon can be with no-nonsense vernacular during practice or games, Martin said she's taken everything in stride and is soaking up as much information as possible without feeling an ounce of pressure now that her spot on the roster has been secured.
Las Vegas rookie Kate Martin (20) reacts after blocking Los Angeles Sparks center Li Yueru’s shot in the fourth quarter on May 18. It was Martin’s debut performance.
PHOTO: Kris Lumague/Las Vegas Aces
In fact, the even-keeled 23-year-old - who turns 24 on June 5 - has probably only seen both ends of her emotional spectrum once, when she cried upon learning she made the final cut and a milli-second after angrily swatting Yueru's shot back to Los Angeles.
In between it's been her consistent energetic vibe her veteran teammates have come to appreciate, especially considering it’s how their championship culture was built.
"She stays in the moment and that's why I'm like, any chance we get, we try to just uplift her," Wilson said. "Because we know it's hard, we understand that it's hard and we try to shake her a little bit and just kind of check her, just making sure that she's good. And she always steps up to the plate every single time."
Martin said she's kept in touch with Caitlin Clark almost daily since the start of training camp, and doesn't envy the pressure her good friend has faced since she arrived in Indianapolis.
It's likely an added reason Martin has felt grateful for her situation in Las Vegas.
"It's nice not to have to wear that crown that is so heavy and have all those eyes on you all the time, I wouldn't want that; I don't think anybody wants that," Martin said. "They can say they want it all they want, but when I've seen it firsthand, it's not all glitz and glam like everyone thinks it is. Caitlin isn't the only rookie who has been in this situation. Obviously, hers is on a bigger scale than anyone else before. But there have been other rookies who have come in and been in the limelight and expected to perform and have 30 points each night. That's not realistic for a rookie right now."
Which is also why Martin can be content with Saturday's performance that will likely be remembered for her monster block more than anything else, including finishing with a +8 on her ledger.
"I was just in the right place at the right time, thankfully I got a block there," she said. "It was fun to celebrate with my teammates, and that obviously felt good. You know, making good plays feels good."
But in true Martin fashion, as Alysha Clark noted about her younger teammate's genuine concern about being a good teammate, the rookie immediately shifted the conversation back to her squad.
"The defensive intensity that we came out with at times, I thought that was really good and when we were playing good defense, getting stops like that, we were at our best," she added. "I was just trying to help continue that. I just focus on each play and my task at hand. And my task at hand is just to do my job and play good defense, move on offense, be a good teammate, and make the right decisions.
"I wouldn't want to be a part of any other team. It's super special here."
