Iowa women’s basketball junior guard Kate Martin has newfound confidence heading into her second season as a starter in 2021-22.

Martin started all 27 games for the Hawkeyes last season in their run to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, averaging 6.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. 

While Martin enters her fourth year in the Hawkeye program, Iowa is ranked ninth in the AP Women’s Basketball Preseason Poll — its highest preseason ranking in 25 years.

“It’s my fourth year and I just, I don’t know, there’s something about that senior confidence that you just have,” Martin said. “For me, personally, I just feel like we have such a great team, I have great teammates alongside of me, and I just think this year’s gonna be really special for us.”

Martin has been plagued by injuries for much of her Hawkeye career. The guard missed her entire true freshman season in 2018-19 with a torn ACL.

In her first year as a starter during the 2020-21 season, she suffered a broken nose twice — first in a game against Northwestern Jan. 9, and again as she took a ball to the face in practice a few weeks later. She wore a face mask to protect her nose, slightly inhibiting her vision, for multiple games.

Now, as one of the Hawkeyes’ best defenders, Martin is fully healthy heading into 2021-22.

“She looks very, very good,” head coach Lisa Bluder said. “I think it’s her maturity, her leadership, her ability to lead this team. She’s healthier than she’s ever been. She’s stronger. She’s quicker. She’s physical. There are just so many elements. But I think more than anything, it’s her confidence. After coming off of last year, she had a good year last year, but I think she sees what she’s capable of doing, and I believe it’s a confidence shift in her.”

Along with former Hawkeyes Zion Sanders and Alexis Sevillian, Martin was one of the youngest-ever captains in the Bluder era in 2020-21 as a sophomore. 

Now, she’s entering her second season of captaincy with the Hawkeyes — she joins senior center Monika Czinano and junior forward McKenna Warnock as Iowa captains.

“Kate is the glue,” Bluder said. “Kate is one of the best leaders that I’ve ever been around, and that’s over quite a few years, so I’m very happy with Kate. She’s been a very versatile player for us and playing a number of positions, as well, because we really need to have Kate on the floor for us.”

Bluder added that the 6-foot guard could defend anyone on the court — including centers, if necessary.

Martin anchored the Hawkeye defense last season as one of the lone bright spots. While Iowa allowed 80.3 points per game — last in all of Division I Women’s Basketball — Martin recorded 34 steals, second on the Hawkeyes. She was also one of four Hawkeyes to record triple-digit rebounds, with 116.

“Defense is a mindset, and it’s just going to be hard-nosed, like, ‘Who’s gonna shut down this player,’” Martin said. “And that’s something that I’ve really tried to interpret in my basketball skills, just being hard nosed and be like, ‘This person isn’t going to score.’ So, that’s the main reason why I can guard the one through four positions.”

Martin added that her teammates have also adopted a new mentality, in hopes to aid their defensive woes this season.

Martin and the Hawkeyes will debut the 2021-22 season in an exhibition against Truman State on Nov. 4 at 6:30 p.m.