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Kate Martin and the Golden State Valkyries are locked in for the inaugural season. The 13th team of the WNBA, the Valkyries, is yet to have an identity as a franchise, but as the first team in franchise history, Martin and Co. are already setting a blueprint for their identity.
According to ESPN's Kendra Andrews, the Valkyries players, coaching staff and the front office met on Sunday ahead of the first day of training camp. Revealing how the team views itself, Andrews revealed the big message she got from Kate Martin.
"We're killers," Martin said. "We want to be gritty; we want to be relentless. We want to be the ones diving on the floor for loose balls. We went to be the ones getting stops, we want to be playing together and work our tails off."
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Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase also revealed the same message about her team. Nakase shared that every player on the roster approached the training camp with "the mindset of win or die."
Nakase is a defensive coach and has always considered defense to be the first step toward winning games. Andrews also wrote that the Valkyries spent the first day at the training camp going through different defensive drills.
The Valkyries' head coach reveals the ceiling for Kate Martin
Despite being a fan favorite, Kate Martin didn't have much playing time while she was with the Las Vegas Aces. With a loaded championship-caliber roster, it was hard for Becky Hammon to find enough minutes for her.
In her rookie year, Kate Martin averaged just over 11 minutes a game. Martin only averaged 2.6 points, 1.6 rebounds and 0.6 assists in 34 games.
Valkyries coach Natalie Nakase decided to bring Martin to the Valkyries during the expansion draft. Her move wasn't without a reason. During her appearance on "The Late Sub With Claire Watkins" in December, Nakase heaped praise on Martin and the ceiling for the sophomore-year player.
"When a person has that type of work ethic, I think the limits are endless," Nakase said of Kate Martin. "When Kate goes, she goes at maximum speed.
"And so that makes her progress, I think, even quicker than most. And then just the level of how much she wants to learn... So it's doing stuff more than just getting through the drills on the court."
Nakase also added that Martin had a very curious mind and always asked questions from the coaching staff, not just about herself but also about how she could positively impact the team.
