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Michigan State star guard Nia Clouden announced Tuesday that she will declare for the 2022 WNBA draft. Clouden, who has started and played in all 117 games for the Spartans since her arrival East Lansing, opted not to use the additional season of eligibility granted to collegiate basketball players amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Some mock drafts project the 5-foot-8 guard from Owings Mills, Maryland, will be selected in the first round. Clouden, who has led Michigan State in scoring the past three seasons, averaged 20.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.2 steals in 2021-22 while shooting 42.7% from the field and a career-high 39.6% from beyond the arc. She memorably scored a program-record 50 points against Florida Gulf Coast in December. "My Spartan teammates: We persevered through the highs and lows and accomplished so much together," Clouden, a two-time All-Big Ten First Team selection, wrote in a social media post. "You are all my sisters for life, and I would not have wanted to go to battle with anyone else. "Coach Suzy: Thank you for believing in me to wear this uniform and pushing me to my highest potential, trusting me, and molding me into a leader. Your guidance will continue to elevate me for years to come." After beating Purdue in the second round, Clouden's eighth-seeded Spartans (15-15) bowed out of the Big Ten tournament on Friday with a 74-58 loss to top-seeded Ohio State.
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