Because Hawks support Hawks 🖤💛
— Las Vegas Aces (@LVAces)
Kate Martin and A.J. Epenesa go way back.
Martin, in her first professional season with the WNBA's Las Vegas Aces, and Epenesa, who will soon begin his fifth year in the NFL with the Buffalo Bills, both grew up in Edwardsville, families intertwined.
The two reconnected Wednesday night in Las Vegas, when Martin, checking into the game, stopped to hug Epenesa, who was sitting courtside.
Epenesa graduated from Edwardsville High in 2017 and Martin did so a year later. Both then moved on to college at the University of Iowa.
Knowing her so well, Epenesa always expected greatness from Martin.
"We've always watched Kate and been like, 'Wow.' She's a great athlete. She's got the mental. She's got the attitude for it. She could be great. And then watching her have the success, it's no surprise that it went the way it did," Epenesa to Blake Horn of WHBF in Rock Island, Illinois.
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"Honestly to me it's no surprise to see her do such good things and to have so much success because she's such a hard worker. She's such a good person and people love her. She just has that energy that makes people drawn to her.
The two families are forever linked. Martin's dad, Matt, was Edwardsville's football coach when Epenesa played there.
"They're just a great family. What Eppy and Stephanie have done to bring together our community of Edwardsville is super cool," Martin to Cedar Rapids, Iowa, TV reporter Owen Siebring. "After every Friday night lights game, after wins they would always have the whole town over to eat food and just pray together and hang out. They're just a super-close family and I love them very much."
Martin has mostly played a bench role for the two-time defending champion Aces, scoring in double figures twice in 13 games and getting ovations even on the road.
It's a role she's used to after serving as the glue for Iowa's Caitlin Clark-fueled NCAA runs.
The Aces' bus almost left without Kate Martin 😂
— The Athletic WBB (@TheAthleticWBB)
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She's fitting in off the court, as well, as evidenced by her teammates' riotous laughter when the team bus recently pulled away without her.
In her lone start, she got from the Los Angeles Sparks crowd when she hit a corner 3-pointer.
"You don't know this girl's universal?" Aces coach Becky Hammon said to a reporter asking about the crowd's response. "Every city. Every city."
For Martin, it's just part of the whirlwind of fun.
"I've never even been to California in my life," when asked if she thought she'd be a crowd favorite. "I didn't expect that. I never expect anything, really. I had no expectations coming into the league and I think that's what's been so fun is that I got an opportunity and I made the best team in the world. It's just been a lot of fun since."
Martin's childhood friend Epenesa signed a two-year deal worth $12 million this offseason to remain with the Bills after a season in which he recorded a career-best 20 tackles and a career-high-tying 6 1/2 sacks.
He's looking ahead to bigger and better things.
“And it's hard to leave such a great organization," Epenesa told the . "They do a lot of things right up there in Buffalo and having a great quarterback like (No.) 17, it's hard to leave, and there's just a lot of great people around there that I've got a lot of good connections with. So I'm really looking forward to being back.â€