The Daily Iowan: How was the experience of attending the WNBA Draft with Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin, and Gabbie Marshall?
Jada Gyamfi: I personally knew Kate was going to get drafted, but we were there as Caitlin’s friends, and then obviously, everybody knew she was going to go No. 1. So when that happened, it was no big surprise. But when Kate got drafted, I was literally sobbing. I was like, ‘This is so embarrassing.’ But it was amazing to see because she works really hard. There’s no one more deserving to get her name called.
Do you have a funny moment off the court that sticks out to you?
When we were overseas [last offseason] — I think we were in Croatia — and we went kayaking. I had never been kayaking before. Gabbie was my partner, and we were terrible at it. I thought we were going to have to call a helicopter to come and get us out. We were drifting off over into islands, getting lapped by the group that went behind us. Even coach [Lisa] Bluder zoomed past us. And that’s how you know it’s really bad. Coach Bluder should not be beating us … We were just spinning in circles. By the time we got back to land, we had cried five times but laughed the whole time.
Have you always been the type of person who brings energy and positive vibes to a group?
I’m the youngest of four siblings, so I grew up being the mediator, just the chill person, whereas my other siblings had more distinct words. When I got [to Iowa], I was the same person I was on my high school team and my AAU team. Genuinely, what you see is what you get. What I’m like on TikTok is exactly what I’m like in person. I don’t understand people who change up their personality. I don’t have enough energy for that.
What was your “welcome to college basketball moment” where you realized this wouldn’t be the same as high school?
When I got here, I played offense with the guards and defense with the posts, just because of my size, and that quickly changed. I remember the first person I guarded in the paint was [former Iowa center] Monika [Czinano]. She gave me a nice one to the chest that really took the wind out of me.
What are those pregame meetings like with Coach Bluder where you guys all sit in a circle at center court?
[Bluder] does a nice job of grounding us, and a lot of the time, it’s focused on mindfulness. Like, why we’re there, what we did to get there, and who we’re playing for. Toward the end of the season, we would highlight a senior and talk about things that we love about them, things that had nothing to do with basketball. And then she always did a great job of incorporating some literature into it. We read a book by Billie Jean King, who is one of our favorites. We talked about Dr. Christine Grant a lot.
What’s one thing about Caitlin Clark that people don’t know?
I always say that she’s so lovey, like she loves being around her people. She loves hugs, she’s like a cuddle monster. And you can’t tell that on the court at all. It’s so weird because on the court she doesn’t like people to touch her and be in her face, even though that’s what she’s used to. [She’s] probably one of the most mushiest people I know, and it’s weird because I’m not that way at all. I’m like, ‘Why are you so weird?’ She’s just so cute.
