Kate Martin's Dad Reflects on Caitlin Clark Relationship Growing Pains at Iowa

Kate Martin's dad opened up about the start to his daughter's relationship with Caitlin Clark while they were at Iowa.

Mar 3, 2024; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Iowa Hawkeyes guard Caitlin Clark (22) reacts with guard Kate Martin (20) during senior day after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Clark broke the NCAA basketball all-time scoring record during the second quarter. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Caitlin Clark and Kate Martin were arguably the two most important pieces of the Iowa Hawkeyes women's basketball team's fantastic run over the past few years, which included them going to two consecutive NCAA national championship games in 2023 and 2024.

While they couldn't win a national championship, Clark and Martin will still go down as legends of their school. And more wholesome than their on-court accolades is the relationship that Clark and Martin built during their Iowa tenure, as they are now the best of friends.

However, it seems that their relationship wasn't always so smooth, which Martin's dad Matt conveyed during a May 8 episode of Off the Air with Matt Randazzo.

"I just think Caitlin Clark is special. And I saw it, Caitlin's freshman year," Matt said. "And I remember Kate and I talking, and you know, Caitlin has a personality. Until she trusts you, she can be abrasive. And her and Kate worked on that relationship; they both worked on it. And [they] became very close and very good friends.

"But I remember telling Kate, 'Listen: This girl is special. If you guys can make this work, I really think you can maybe compete for Big Ten Championships or something. I think you can do some really special things,'" Martin continued. "Obviously, I didn't think they'd go to back-to-back Final Fours and championship games, but they were able to do it."

He then added, "It worked out better than I ever thought."

kate martin's father was interviewed recently & brought up the evolution of kate/caitlin's relationship while at iowa + sees the attention on caitlin being a positive thing as it shines a light on other players pic.twitter.com/qXgSOwR5fr

— a (@aclassyteaparty) May 11, 2025

There's no doubt that what Clark and Martin accomplished at Iowa is nothing short of special.