Former WNBA player Simone Edwards appointed coordinator by JaBA

The Jamaica Basketball Association (JaBA) is pleased to announce the appointment of former WNBA player Simone Edwards as Coordinator of the National youth basketball team programme. Simone will be tasked with developing strategies and plans to ensure Jamaica consistently field youth level teams in regional competitions in the first instance. As part of her range of duties Simone will organize identification and training camps both in Jamaica and the USA in an effort to produce competitive age group teams.

The objective is to create an expanded pool of experienced youth players who can transition into the Senior national men and women teams. The development pathway would culminate in the core of players qualifying and playing in the 2028 Olympic games

Edwards who signed with the New York Liberty in the inaugural WNBA season, eventually played internationally in Hungary, Spain, Israel and Italy before returning to the USA to play with the Seatle Storm where she won a WNBA championship in 2004. Simone represented Jamaica for approximately 8 years during which time she won the CBC championship. She also won silverware as the national female coach in the CBC 2014 tournament and carried the team to a podium position in the Centro championship. Her expertise and network is expected to create a platform for sustainability by engaging the diaspora and tapping into the human capital and other resources.

Simone who was awarded the Order of Distinction (OD) in 2017 said’ I am delighted to give back to the growth and development of basketball in Jamaica and I hope to harness the talent available to Jamaica to ensure that once again Jamaica can be a powerhouse in regional basketball’

The basketball community looks forward to working closely with Simone as we strive to create opportunities for our youth through sports.

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