Seminole State College will host former Belles basketball player and Women’s National Basketball Association (WNBA) star Simone “Jamaican Hurricane” Edwards on campus next week. During her visit to SSC, she will promote her book Unstoppable, a memoir aimed to encourage others to pursue their dreams, even in the face of opposition.

Edwards will be featured during a variety of events both on and off campus. On Wednesday, March 7, Edwards will visit with SSC students at 10 a.m. during a special presentation inside the Jeff Johnston Fine Arts Center. This event is free and open to the public. She will also be the guest speaker at the Seminole Chamber of Commerce Forum luncheon on Thursday, March 8, at 12 p.m. This event is also open to the public with an $8 fee for lunch, payable at the door.

During her visit, she will spend one-on-one time with the current Belles basketball team – including an evening watching them play at the NJCAA Region II Women’s Playoff Tournament at Oklahoma Baptist University in Shawnee. She will also visit the 5th and 6th-grade classes at Seminole Elementary School to discuss “Overcoming Obstacles and Anti-Bullying.”

Edwards grew up in an impoverished village in Kingston, Jamaica. She started playing basketball for the first time at the age of 16. One year later, in 1991, she was recruited by former SSC Women’s Basketball Coach Brad Walck to come play for the Belles at SSC.

 “Simone was my very first recruit,” Walck stated. “I remember flying to Jamaica to watch this 17-year-old play in a tournament. She had been a track star and never played basketball, but Simone was a hard worker and was dedicated. You could tell there was something special about her.” Edwards was prepared to sign and play basketball with another college but signed with SSC instead because of Walck’s visit.

While at Seminole, Edwards helped lead the Belles to a 27-5 record in her first season and a 29-2 record in her second year. In her final year, the Belles were ranked number one nationally and won the NJCAA Region II championship title. Edwards was also Second Team All-American in 1991-1992 and First Team All-American in 1992-1993. She was also the first “Kodak All-American” in the College’s women’s basketball history.

After leaving SSC, Edwards played two years for the University of Iowa, then gained international prominence playing in countries including Italy, Hungary, Israel and Spain.  She led her team to multiple championships including the Israeli Cup and the Spanish Copa de la Reina.

Edwards signed with the WNBA, joining the New York Liberty during the 1997 inaugural season, becoming the first Caribbean and first Jamaican player in the league.  In 2000, she signed with the Seattle Storm’s inaugural team, ultimately becoming a WNBA champion in 2004.

Edwards retired in 2006 after a six-year career with the Seattle Storm, retiring as the longest-tenured member of the original Storm roster. Edwards is a member of the Seattle Storm All-Decade Team and the Seattle Storm Legend Fraternity.

Post-retirement, Edwards was selected to represent her home country as team captain on the Jamaica Basketball Women’s National Team, winning the country’s first-ever gold medal at the 2006 Caribbean Basketball Confederation Championship. In 2014, she returned to the team as head coach, winning yet another gold medal at the championship.

Edwards was honored by Seminole State College with induction in the SSC Alumni Hall of Fame in 2005.

In 2015, she was featured in the award-winning documentary film Coming Back to the Hoop, coaching senior women to the Senior National Basketball Championship. As part of her lifetime commitment to philanthropy and community service, she founded the Simone4Children Foundation to uplift and educate children in Kingston, Jamaica. She also created the Anti-Bully Project as a champion in the fight against bullying worldwide.

Autographed copies of Edwards’ book, Unstoppable, will be available for $20 at the Seminole Chamber of Commerce Forum on March 8.  Copies of the book may also be purchased in advance at the SSC President’s Office, located upstairs in the Haney Center.

For more information about this event, contact Director of Community Relations Kristin Dunn by phone at 405-382-9218 or by email at k.dunn@sscok.edu.