ALBANY — Caitlin Clark has been doing this since high school.
The 30-foot 3s.
The no-look dimes.
The constant reminders of a style never before seen.
But it wasn’t until this season that every seat of virtually every game was sold out.
It wasn’t until recently that she popped up in commercials, that her jersey was seen outside of Middle America, outside of North America.
It doesn’t happen without last March, without setting the NCAA Tournament scoring record, without leading Iowa to its first-ever national title game.
And it doesn’t happen without Kate Martin.
“She’s probably the best leader I’ve ever been around in my entire life,” Clark said.
If Clark is the best-selling hit single, overplayed by radio stations, familiar to grandparents and grandchildren, Martin is the deep track, most appreciated by the most ardent Iowa supporters.
In Iowa City’s Carver-Hawkeye Arena, Martin also inspires homemade signs and hysteria; affectionately known as “The Glue” on a team that is carried by Clark, but strengthened by its captain.
Martin is Charles Oakley with a 3-point shot, a gritty enforcer whose defense and dirty work makes the 6-foot guard the most respected player on the roster.
In Monday night’s Elite Eight game against LSU, Martin made her 137th career start for Iowa.
Part of why Clark won’t return to Iowa next season is because her most trusted teammate won’t be there.
“She’s been somebody that’s been here with me through it all,” Clark said. “She’s somebody that I admire and look up to, and she became one of my best friends. I think everybody in our locker room, and every one of the coaches, would say she’s someone we learn from every single day, somebody that has our backs.
“I’ll miss playing with her. She’s just somebody that’s really been there for me. She’s somebody that’s wired the same way as me. At times, that means me and Kate butt heads, but at the end of the day, we know how much we love each other. We just make each other better.”
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As a young child, Martin attended Iowa basketball camps.
Her aunt Julie Fitzpatrick is married to Hawkeyes associate coach Jan Jensen.
“I grew up idolizing Iowa women’s basketball,” said Martin, who averages 12.8 points, 6.8 rebounds, while hitting 38.4 percent on 3-pointers. “I know what it’s like to be a kid looking up to those players. I keep that in the back of my mind.”
Clark begged Martin to return for her sixth season.
It was possible because of the NCAA’s COVID-19 exception, because Martin redshirted her first season at Iowa after tearing her ACL three days before the first practice.
The Illinois native returned and became the first player in Hawkeyes history with more than 900 points, 500 rebounds, 400 assists, 120 steals and 60 blocks in a career.
“It’s been fun to see her evolution as a basketball player,” Clark said. “To me, she’s a pro. She’s somebody that should be drafted. She’s somebody that can offer a lot to a professional organization. If not, she’ll make a really good coach one day.”
If so, Martin could remain a presence in March decades from now.
Martin, the daughter of a high school football coach, was part of this year’s “So You Want To Be A Coach” program — run by the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association — which assists players interested in pursuing coaching as a career.
“She truly is one of the best captains I’ve ever had,” Iowa coach Lisa Bluder said. “She’s the first person that will hold people accountable and she’s also the first person that will pat everybody on the back when they need it.
“She’s going to be a fabulous coach. I’m not going to want to coach against her because she’s going to be really, really good, in time.”
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