Caribbean Heritage Month Wall of Fame: Simone Edwards - "The Jamaican Hurricane"

Caribbean Heritage Month Wall of Fame: Simone Edwards - "The Jamaican Hurricane"
Author

Institute of Caribbean Studies

Release Date

Friday, October 6, 2017

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Simone Ann-Marie Edwards (born 17 November 1973) is a female basketball player who played for the New York Liberty and the Seattle Storm and was the first Caribbean and first Jamaican player in the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). The 6'4" Edwards center is known to fans as the "Jamaican Hurricane."

Like some other Caribbean-born players such as Tim Duncan, Edwards did not play basketball in high school. She was spotted by an American college basketball coach after competing in a track meet in Jamaica. She first garnered attention on the court during junior college, at Seminole State College in Seminole, Oklahoma, leading the team to an undefeated conference record, ranking in the National Junior College Athletic Association Top 10. During her tenure, she was the recipient of several top sports awards and became the First Kodak All-American in the school's history. In 1996-97, she led the University of Iowa Hawkeyes in field-goal percentage (.557) during her senior season.

Edwards was one of three players picked out of over 300 athlete at a NY Liberty tryout camp. As a developmental player by the New York Liberty in 1997, but never saw a game until signing on with the newly inaugurated Storm in 2000. She was the only player to be a part of the team for every game of its first six seasons, and became a KeyArena fan favorite for her ebullient personality and cheerleading when not in the game. Edwards won a WNBA championship with the Seattle Storm in 2004.

Career Highlights

1993: Regional Player of the Year, MVP, NJCAA All-American First Team, Seminole State College
1993: First Kodak All-American in school's history, Seminole State College
1993: Recruited to University of Iowa NCAA Division I
1997: WNBA First Jamaican Player
1997: Signed to New York Liberty WNBA Team
1997: First-Ever WNBA Game w/ New York Liberty
2000: Signed to Seattle Storm Inaugural WNBA Team
2004: WNBA Championship - Seattle Storm
2005: Inducted in Seminole State College Hall of Fame
2005: The Women's Day Award from International Women's Day Committee (Italy)
2006: All-Time Leader in Games Played (93), Minutes (2,149) & Rebounds (405)
2006: Second in Seattle Storm History in Most Points Scored (676)
2006: Retired from Seattle Storm as last original player on the inaugural Storm roster
2006: Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship, Jamaica Basketball Women's National Team - Gold Medal (Team Captain)
2007: Most Points Scored Award for Federation of International Basketball (FIBA)
2007: Assistant Women's Basketball Coach - Radford University NCAA Division I (2007-08)
2008: Assistant Women's Basketball Coach - George Mason University NCAA Division I (2008-2011)
2010: Member of the Seattle Storm All-Decade Team
2010: Immaculate Conception High School Alumnae Association, New York Chapter Ad Astra Award for Philanthropy 2010: Caribbean Lifestyle Honor for Lifetime Achievement Award
2010: Centrobasket Championship - Silver Medal (Head Coach)
2010: Central American and Caribbean Games - Bronze Medal (Head Coach)
2010: RJR Sports Foundation Special Award recognizing contribution to development of Women's Basketball
2014: Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship - Gold Medal (Head Coach)
2015: RJR Sports Foundation Merit Award
2014: Member of the Seattle Storm Legend Fraternity
2015: Starred in Award-Winning Documentary Feature Film "Coming Back To The Hoop"
2015: Founded The Anti-Bully Project
2015: Featured on Real Housewives of Atlanta
2016: Selected NCAA Women's Basketball Ambassador
2017: Co-founded Diverse Writers Room
2017: Selected as National Spokesperson for Caribbean American Heritage Month
2017: Published Unstoppable: A Memoir of Adversity, Perseverance & Triump
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