IOWA CITY, Iowa — March Madness and Hawkeye hysteria have taken on an entirely new meaning at Andalusia Elementary School. It's all thanks to Mrs. Martin. The district's new fifth grade teacher is also the mother of Iowa basketball standout Kate Martin.
"When I got interviewed here, they didn't know that Kate was my daughter," Jill Martin said. "And they wanted a fun fact. So I said, 'Oh, Kate Martin's my daughter.' And the reaction they gave me surprised me because I didn't realize how excited people would be that she was my daughter."
The Quad City native moved back from Edwardsville recently, putting her right back in the middle of Hawkeye country.
"It's amazing. I mean, who would have thought little boys would be wearing girl jerseys? Back when I was a kid, you would have probably been teased for that. Today you see it everywhere," Jill said.
"When she comes back we just talk about how good the game was and stuff that happened to Kate," one of Jill's students said.
"The kids all come and tell me 'I watched the game last night, I saw you on TV,' and they love it. And they talk about all the exciting things that she did on the court during a game," Jill said.
And all the March Madness has the Martins on the move. At United Township High School, Matt Martin is teaching driver's ed. He recently returned from Albany and also made the trek to Cleveland to watch the Final Four.
"You know, winning is hard, right? And there's a lot that comes with it. And there's a lot of sacrifice, but we're making it work and it's a good problem to have," Matt said.
Matt is a first-year teacher and coach with the Panthers. It should come as no surprise that the glue of the Iowa Hawkeyes has a pair of teachers to learn from.
"She does that. She fixes things. The glue is maybe the fixer right, she's willing to provide what the team needs at the time," Matt said. "Being educators and coaches in our family, she's been surrounded by it, a certain mindset. No excuses."
"I'm not surprised she does that. She's always been unique and kind and not afraid to speak up," Jill said.
The proud parents are now watching their daughter succeed on the college hardwood, while helping take women's basketball to an entirely new level.
"I hope people see that. I hope they see it's bigger than just basketball. It's not just the winning," Matt said. "It's how they conduct themselves. It's the kind of people they are on and off the court. Yes, of course, the winning brings attention to it, but they're just great people to root for, and I think people connect to them and what they're doing for women's sports."
"It's weird," Jill said. "I don't know how to feel about it all. Maybe on the other side of this, I will let it all soak in and it will hit me. But right now I just focus on being her mom and watching basketball. Like I always have with her."
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