Kate Martin, the former Las Vegas Aces guard and the Golden State Valkyries’ latest recruit, is gearing up to prove that the sophomore slump isn’t in her vocabulary. As the 2025 WNBA season looms, Martin has been grinding through intense offseason workouts with her coach, Maxwell Schmarzo, a self-proclaimed fitness guru and “the most famous 32-year-old dad in Iowa.” (Who knew Iowa had its own celebrity dad rankings?)
Schmarzo, known as “Strong By Science” on Instagram, has amassed a following of 445,000 thanks to his blend of fitness expertise, humor, and dad vibes. In a recent workout clip featuring Martin, he captioned:
“Most famous 32-year-old dad in Iowa + @katemartin = getting better at basketball day by day.”
Martin, clearly fired up, reshared the clip on her Instagram Stories, punctuating it with the ultimate hype phrase:
“Let’s. Go.”
Dunking Doubts? Think Again.
While critics often harp on the jumping abilities of WNBA players (as if basketball is all about hops), Martin silenced the naysayers by dunking in a training video. Yes, the 6-foot guard dunked. Let that sink in. For anyone keeping score, that’s one more dunk than most armchair analysts have ever attempted.
The training sessions also included techniques that sound more like dance moves than basketball drills: hip-torso disassociation (great for splitting defenses, less so for splitting checks at dinner), sprints, shooting drills, and mastering the art of using body contact to create scoring opportunities.
Schmarzo detailed the meticulous plan behind the scenes:
“In the weight room, we focused a good amount on being explosive and worked on single-leg posterior chain exercises. On the court, we split time between defensive drills and acceleration-specific exercises, from finishing at the rim to creating space off the bounce.”
Translation: Kate Martin is coming for ankles, layups, and maybe even your favorite team’s playoff hopes.
New Beginnings with the Golden State Valkyries
Martin, who averaged 2.6 points over 11.5 minutes per game during her rookie season with the Aces, was unprotected in the WNBA’s expansion draft. The Golden State Valkyries, the league’s shiny new franchise, swooped in and picked her up.
While her rookie year stats might not scream superstar, Martin is looking at this as her golden (state) opportunity:
“I’m really excited. This league is all about opportunity—you just need one shot. I’m very thankful for the Aces and everything I got to learn there, but I’m really excited for this new beginning and to build something from the ground up here with the Valkyries.”
The Valkyries are assembling a squad with players from every WNBA team, and Martin is set to share the court with an eclectic mix of talent, from Iliana Rupert (Atlanta Dream) to Julie Vanloo (Washington Mystics).
Ready for Unrivaled
Before she suits up for the Valkyries, Martin will lace up for the Unrivaled basketball league with Laces BC. She’ll team up with the likes of Courtney Williams, Kayla McBride, Alyssa Thomas, and Stefanie Dolson. Consider this the preseason where she sharpens her skills and continues to dunk on doubters.
The Iowa Dad Factor
As for Schmarzo, his mix of science-backed training and dad jokes seems to be the perfect blend for Martin’s development. With a coach who can craft an elite acceleration drill and make light of his Iowa dad fame, Martin is in good hands.
Fans of the Valkyries (and Schmarzo’s Instagram followers) will have to wait until the 2025 season to see how far this dynamic duo’s offseason efforts will go. But one thing is clear: Kate Martin isn’t just getting better at basketball—she’s writing her own comeback story, one explosive dunk at a time.