Sun look for additional offensive punch in WNBA draft

With an eye on more offensive production from the second unit, the Connecticut Sun drafted Michigan State guard Nia Clouden in the first round of Monday night’s WNBA draft. Clouden was selected with the No. 12 pick.

The Sun also grabbed Baylor’s Jordan Lewis with the No. 24 pick in the second round and closed out the draft by taking Florida’s Kiki Smith with the final selection in the third round at No. 36. Thanks to finishing last season with the best record in the league, the Sun (26-6) selected last in each of the draft’s three rounds.

“Nia is who we targeted from the beginning of draft preparations,” said Curt Miller, the Sun’s general manager and head coach. “We feel she brings us a dynamic scoring combo guard that can score at all three levels.”

It will be a challenge to earn a spot on the Sun roster that is full of veteran talent led by WNBA MVP Jonquel Jones, DeWanna Bonner and Alyssa Thomas. Veterans Brionna Jones, Courtney Williams and Jasmine Thomas also return. They’ve all played in the WNBA All-Star game at some point of their careers.

In the past three seasons, the Sun have gone to the WNBA finals (2019, losing to Washington) and were eliminated in the semifinals (Las Vegas in 2020 and Chicago in 2021).

Three players from UConn were drafted in the second round of the draft  – Christyn Williams (Washington), Olivia Nelson-Ododa (Los Angeles) and Evina Westbrook (Seattle).

Clouden comes to the Sun from four successful seasons with Michigan State. The Owings Mills, Maryland native finished her collegiate career second all-time on the MSU scoring list with 1,882 points, along with 465 rebounds, 449 assists and 164 steals.

During the 2021-22 season, Clouden was fifth in the Big Ten in scoring averaging 20.0 points per game, which also landed her at 20^th in the nation. She broke the school record for points in a single contest, when she tallied 50 points in a double overtime loss to Florida Gulf Coast during the 2021-22 regular season.

“We think Nia is a three-level scorer,” Miller said. “We are impressed by her increased three-point shooting this year and love her wiggle – her ability to score off ball screens. We are looking for someone to spark us in that second unit and score with the basketball.”

“I just want to come in and be a spark plug and be a competitor. That’s my goal,” Clouden said. “To be drafted is a dream come true. To go to Connecticut with a great team and great players, honestly, I couldn’t ask for anything better to go in and learn from them.”

Lewis, a Windermere, FL native, comes to Connecticut after playing her graduate season with the Baylor Bears. As a graduate transfer, she made an immediate impact at Baylor averaging 11.8 points, 3.8 rebounds and 5.3 assists in the 2021-22 season. In her final year, she was named the Big XII Newcomer of the Year and also picked up All-Big XII First Team honors.

“First and foremost, Jordan’s a winner,” said Miller. “She’s an outstanding point guard with a high basketball IQ. She is an excellent three-point shooter and a very physical defensive guard.”

Prior to her time with the Lady Bears, Lewis played for the University of Alabama garnering All-SEC Second Team (2021). She finished her college career with 1,994 points, 669 rebounds, 695 assists and 200 steals over six seasons at Alabama and Baylor.

Smith comes to the Connecticut Sun after finishing her collegiate career at the University of Florida. The District Heights, MD native played three seasons with the Florida Gators after transferring from ASA College in New York, where she spent two seasons.

Smith’s season ended prematurely in March with a knee injury in the SEC Tournament.

“This is a huge pick for the future of the Connecticut Sun,” Miller said. “We valued her as a potential first round selection before her devastating season-ending injury and have spoken about the opportunity to draft Kiki and support her through her knee surgery and rehabilitation, and we look forward to her being at our 2023 training camp.”

During her career at Florida, Smith amassed 1,508 points, 621 rebounds, 438 assists and 220 steals. In her final season at Florida, she became just the third Gator to be named to the SEC All-Defensive team and also earned SEC First Team honors.

Smith was named a regional finalist for the 2022 Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division I Coaches’ All-America team. During the 2021-22 season, she scored in double-figures in 24 outings, including leading her team with a season-best 27 points in a comeback victory at No. 25 Texas A&M.

UConn’s Williams was taken with the No. 14 overall pick by Washington with Nelson-Ododa going to Los Angeles with the No. 19 pick and Westbrook going to Seattle with the No. 21 pick.

Westbrook is the seventh Husky to be drafted by Seattle and joins former UConn players Sue Bird, Breanna Stewart and Gabby Williams on the Storm roster. UConn has had 43 WNBA draft selections since the league began in 1997 – the most draft picks of any collegiate program.

All three will graduate from UConn this spring.