Martin biding her time with glimpses of a standout player

FULLERTON, Calif. — As her second season in the WNBA and her first with a new team unfold, Kate Martin bides her time.

The former Iowa standout, whom the Golden State Valkyries selected in December's expansion draft, has not compiled the most glittering statistics during the first quarter of the season, but Martin's patience might be her most potent weapon.

"You know, I'm grateful to be here," the 6-foot guard said during a recent telephone interview. "My goal is always to make an impact and be a good teammate, so no matter how big or small my role is, I'm doing the dang thing and trying to do it to the best of my ability."

After Tuesday's night loss to the Dallas Wings, Martin is averaging 5.6 points in 16 minutes per game and shooting 33.3 percent through 10 games. After starting the season opener, Martin has yet to re-enter the starting lineup.

"Obviously, I know I always have room to grow, but also it's only my second year, and I'm just doing exactly what my team needs of me right now," she said. "Time will tell but I just take that day by day. I'm always going to strive to be better."

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That goal, however, faces a formidable hurdle.

"Just having to compete and put up a fight against all the best in the world, it's not easy," Martin said. "The league is very physical, it's very fast-paced, and there's a lot of high IQ players in the league. I've been grateful to get to play alongside a lot of amazing players and get the opportunity to challenge myself against a lot of them. "

Martin won one of those challenges June 1 when she scored a career-high 14 points and grabbed two rebounds during a 16-5 surge that turned a 32-26 deficit against the unbeaten Minnesota Lynx into a 42-37 lead in the second quarter. The former Hawkeye made four of five field-goal attempts, including two from 3-point range, and four of five free throws.

Six days later, Martin scored 12 points and grabbed seven rebounds in a season-best 26 minutes during a 95-68 rout of her old team, the Las Vegas Aces.

"Kate's probably one of our most consistent energy players," Valkyries Coach Natalie Nakase said. "What stands out to me with Kate is she's not afraid of hard work. Then when she plays, her energy is always on.

“So it's never like, 'I wonder what Kate is going to bring today?' I always know what I'm going to get with Kate, and I think that's sometimes a coach's dream."

Nakase served as an assistant coach with Las Vegas during Martin's rookie season there, so she made a point to use the Valkyries' sixth selection in the expansion draft on her.

"Kate knows how to play," Nakase said. "Her IQ is really high, so it's easy to plug her in with any lineup at any time."

More importantly for Nakase, Martin provides a template for the atmosphere she wants to create.

"In the expansion draft, we handpicked players that embody our culture: hard working, mental toughness and ultra competitive," Nakase said. "Kate fits all of those. Kate is our culture."

While biding her time, Martin has taken to the San Francisco Bay Area in the way Stephen Curry takes to long-range jumpers.

"Honestly, I've loved it," she said. "It's been awesome. There's a lot to do. We've got the water right there, but you also have cool hiking. You have cool shopping in the city. You have different sightseeing things to do. There's good food. It's really nice to have everything in walking distance as well. Living in a city is really fun.

"The only thing I really miss is the people. My family is still in the Midwest, obviously, so I miss them dearly, always. But I know I'll always be able to call that place home. And I've lived in some cool places that my family and friends can come visit, so I'm lucky for that. "

If San Francisco fails to remain her professional home, Martin expressed hopeful optimism about her chances elsewhere. Portland, Oregon and Toronto will field expansion teams next year.

"The reality of the league is that, as time goes on and as we add more teams, there will be more roster spots," she said. "I know how hard this league is, so any year you get an opportunity to go to a training camp and make another roster is a great year."