The Daily Iowan: What was your experience like attending the WNBA Draft with Caitlin Clark, Kate Martin and Gabbie Marshall?
Jada Gyamfi: Personally, I knew Kate was going to be drafted, but we were there as Caitlin’s friends, and obviously everyone knew she was going to be No. 1. So when this happened, it wasn’t a big surprise. But when Kate was drafted, I was literally sobbing. I was like, “This is so embarrassing. » But it was amazing to see because she works so hard. There is no one more who deserves to be called by his name.
Do you have a funny moment off the field that stands out to you?
When we were abroad [last offseason] — I think we were in Croatia — and we went kayaking. I had never kayaked before. Gabbie was my partner and we were terrible at it. I thought we were going to have to call a helicopter to come and get us out. We drifted towards the islands, being overlapped by the group following us. Same coach [Lisa] Bluder walked past us. And that’s how you know it’s really bad. Coach Bluder shouldn’t beat us… We were going in circles. By the time we got back to shore, we had cried five times but laughed the whole time.
Have you always been the type of person who brings energy and positive vibes to a group?
I’m the youngest of four siblings, so I grew up as a mediator, just the quiet person, while my other siblings had more distinct words. When I got [to Iowa], I was the same person I was on my high school team and my AAU team. In reality, what you see is what you get. Who I am on TikTok is exactly who I am in person. I don’t understand people who change their personalities. I don’t have enough energy for that.
What was your “welcome to college basketball moment” where you realized it wouldn’t be the same as high school?
When I got here, I played offense with the guards and defense with the posts, just because of my size, and that changed quickly. I remember the first person I kept in the painting was [former Iowa center] Monique [Czinano]. She gave me a nice one on my chest that really took my breath away.
What are those pre-match meetings with Coach Bluder like where you all sit in a circle at center court?
[Bluder] does a good job of grounding us, and most of the time it’s focused on mindfulness. Like why we are here, what we did to get there and who we play for. Toward the end of the season, we were highlighting a senior and talking about things we liked about him, things that had nothing to do with basketball. And then she always did an excellent job of incorporating a little literature into it. We are reading a book by Billie Jean King, who is one of our favorites. We talked a lot about Dr. Christine Grant.
What’s one thing about Caitlin Clark that people don’t know?
I always say she’s so loving, like she loves being with her people. She loves cuddles, she’s like a cuddle monster. And this is not seen at all on the ground. It’s so weird because on the field she doesn’t like people touching her and facing her, even though that’s what she’s used to. [She’s] probably one of the softest people I know, and it’s weird because I’m not like that at all. I’m like, ‘Why are you so weird?’ She is so cute.
