Caitlin Clark’s college days might be over, but she’s still tightly holding onto Iowa. Especially the people who made her journey special. Like when Gabbie Marshall posted her “Jadda hype girl” moment. Clark chimed in with a funny “Crop me in next time, gang”. And when Sydney Affolter said her farewell, Clark hit her with “I love you, squidy”. It’s a throwback nickname only the team would get. But they aren’t limiting it all to little social media comments. They have got plenty stories to share; practice sessions, first impressions, and all.

Whether it’s pulling legs on Instagram comments or catching up on the sidelines, it’s proof that those Iowa connections haven’t faded. That’s how the girls stay connected. Most importantly, they have always had good things to say about each other. Like the time when Affolter was asked whether Caitlin Clark was as competitive during practice as she is during games, and she had praises to sing.

“She is extremely fiery, and I think in practice that’s where you get so much better. But she’s pushing all of us to get better. So if you weren’t practicing at your best, she definitely would let you know,” she said. And Affolter is not the only one with an NCAA throwback story. CC’s bestie had her own first impression to share. The one who showed up to support Clark at the WNBA Draft, and 17 picks later, unexpectedly heard her own name called.

Yes, Kate Martin recently opened up about the moment Caitlin Clark first arrived on campus. Her reaction was a mix of curiosity and doubt. ” I had heard about this Caitlin Clark, and I was watching videos of her having like 40 points, like averaging a million in high school.” Naturally, back then, it was difficult to tell if CC was just overhyped or she was actually that good.

However, that doubt even carried expectations for everyone, including Kate Martin.

She smiled while sharing, ” And I was like, oh, this girl thinks she’s going to come here and rule the world.” It didn’t take long for those expectations to turn into reality. “And there she did, came in right away and ruled the world,” Martin continued. “And I was like, alright, here we go.”

The first time these two shared the court together, Clark had dropped 27 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Well, that was really just her scratching the surface. Ranked 4th in her recruiting class, the Des Moines native led Iowa to Sweet 16 after a 2-year drought, finished with 26.6 points per game, and was named co-freshman of the year nationally. You know the rest that followed.

Whether it’s Sydney Affolter talking about those intense practice sessions. Or Kate Martin remembering how Caitlin took charge from the very first day. One thing’s clear that CC doesn’t just play the game, she shifts the whole energy of it.

Kate Martin continues to look out for Caitlin Clark

Kate Martin just turned 25 on June 5, and ahead of their June 19 WNBA game, Caitlin Clark made sure to show some love to her best of friends. She posted a sweet birthday shoutout on her Instagram Story with a back shot of them walking together in their new WNBA jerseys. She even wrote a heartfelt message on it “see you v soon ily @katemartin. Happy birthday kater!!!!!!”

More than a casual birthday post, it felt like proof that no matter where they play, that Iowa bond isn’t going anywhere. These two have never let rival jerseys change how much they mean to each other. And it’s not just Clark looking out for Martin, the care goes both ways. It showed when right before Golden State’s June 4 loss to the Liberty, Martin opened up about how tough it must be for Clark to sit out with an injury.

She said “I know how much of a go-getter she is, so anything like this is going to stink,” she told The Mirror. “She just wants to be playing all the time.” Fairly so, because having seen Clark’s competitiveness up close, Martin knows better than anyone how hard it is for her to miss games. “She’s not the type of person who’s going to sit out because she’s tired… she wants to be out there for a full 40 minutes every single game.” This friendship sin’t changing, it’s just playing out on the biggest stage yet.