“Nobody feels sorry for us”: Kate Martin vents out feelings on Valkyries’ mindset amid unforgiving WNBA schedule

Kate Martin is having a career season with the Golden State Valkyries. Coach Natalie Nakase made use of the perfect opportunity and grabbed Martin out of Las Vegas, and it is slowly paying off.

The Valkyries have been able to draw a large crowd to their games, and Martin has become a fan favorite. While the WNBA's 13th team playing its inaugural season has had a promising start, the Valkyries also have to handle their tough schedule, which has been taxing on the players.

Since June 20, they have already played four games, and have yet another game on Monday. Golden State managed to come out on top against the Chicago Sky on Friday, recording an 83-78 win.

Kate Martin spoke to reporters after the victory and was asked about the team's mentality and 'fighting through the fatigue to win.' She responded:

"That’s kind of how this league is, it's a lot of games in a short amount of time. We gotta play four games this week so rest and recovery is important. Watching extra film, prepping for games in non-physical ways by watching extra film and being locked in mentally is super important."

Martin then shared a hard truth that applies in every sport:

"You can’t really just act tired and be tired. Nobody feels sorry for us that we have 4 games this week, so we just got to come prepared."

The Valkyries will get a few days of rest after the game against the Seattle Storm on Monday. They will once again resume their tough schedule on July 6, playing four games through the week.

Kate Martin shares Valkyries' mindset after narrow loss to New York Liberty

After an initial slump with the Valkyries, Kate Martin has picked up what WNBA fans hoped for her. In the last few games, Martin has shown a glimpse of her potential on the basketball court and perhaps a great future.

At Iowa, Martin was largely considered a leader for the Hawkeyes, a glue that kept the team together in the toughest times. With her game already picking up, Martin is also emerging as a leading voice for the Valkyries.

The Valkyries faced a 3-point loss against the defending champions on Wednesday. The game remained very close until the last second before Sabrina Ionescu closed the game with free throws. But the hero of the game was Kate Martin, who scored 14 of her career-high 21 points in the fourth quarter alone.

Martin came up with an answer everytime in the defending champion took a lead. She hit three 3-pointers in the fourth quarter alone. After the game, a reporter asked Martin about the feeling of coming close to beating the defending champion

"Yeah, I mean we're close. We don't really care about being close," Martin said. "Like we want to win, that's our goal every night . We don't care if it is defending champs. We don't care who you are. Our goal is to win." [Timestamp 5:15]

Kate Martin ended the game with 21 points and shot 46.7% in field goals, including 40.0% from the 3-point line.

The Valkyries bounced back fast from the loss, taking down the Sky on Friday. Martin scored 11 points in the win.

Edited by John Maxwell