Caitlin Clark had once again returned to the court in Wednesday’s game against the Golden State Valkyries. However, for the first time, the Indiana Fever star faced her former Iowa teammate Kate Martin, one of the game’s starters, and their bond was put to the test on the court.
Clark and Martin, close friends, notably played together for four seasons with the Hawkeyes, where they had a trip to the National Finals twice. Both parted ways as they went pro, with the former rising into one of the WNBA’s superstars while the latter became a crucial bench player.
This time, Martin gets the swagger as the Valkyries dominated the Fever, 80-61, with her getting five points and two rebounds on 2-of-7 shooting and 1-of-4 from downtown. Still, the Illinois native was crucial throughout her 19 minutes on the court, stunning Indiana with her team’s defense.
Despite Wednesday’s game, Martin and Caitlin Clark shook hands and exchanged daps, a moment captured by Iowa photographer Bri Lewerke. She shared the photo on her Instagram, writing: “From starting together at Iowa to starting against each other in the W,” in the caption.
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In the comments, Martin still shows love for her former teammate, writing “I love her,” sharing her excitement in their first WNBA showdown. Caitlin Clark also shared blue emojis, acknowledging the casual moment.
While her reunion with Martin remains heartwarming, it’s undeniable that Caitlin Clark is struggling in her sophomore season. In the recent game, she only scored ten points, five rebounds, and six assists in 4-of-12 shooting. She was out for five games due to a groin injury, the second in her current stint. The star guard also sustained a left quad injury last May.
Fever HC explains team’s slump following Caitlin Clark’s return
Caitlin Clark‘s return on Wednesday might have been much-awaited, but it didn’t yield the expected results. The Indiana Fever star had another underwhelming performance, which might’ve affected the team’s momentum, which was impressive while she was out in the last games.
Speaking on the post-game interview against the Valkyries, head coach Stephanie White explained that she’s working on putting multiple guards on the court. For instance, she replaced Lexie Hull with Aari McDonald to support Clark, who is still not fully composed, in handling the ball.
“I like the ability to have two primary (ball handlers) on the floor,” White said. “Being able to give the opponent different looks. Quite frankly, for (Caitlin), especially not having to have her play under duress 94 feet… We’ll continue to work on that.”
With White’s plan commencing, fans hope that Caitlin Clark and the Fever will finally be on 101% against the Atlanta Dream on Friday.
For more basketball content, click on Hardwood Heroics. Sabel Reyes can be reached through sabelreyes22@gmail.com. Other websites under the Sports Heroics umbrella are Gridiron Heroics and Wisconsin Heroics.
Sabel has been working as a field reporter for People’s Television Network (PTV), mainly about the Philippine Basketball Association since 2016 and has been elevated to Executive Producer for sports in 2022. Aside from being on top of the Philippine sports scene, she is also a running enthusiast. You can also follow her on X at @SabelReyes2 and Instagram at @msabelreyes.
