Jamaican women's national hoop

Simone Edwards has been a WNBA champion (2004 Seattle Storm) and enjoyed a successful international career. For the most part, her playing days ended several years ago when she became a college coach.

Currently an assistant coach at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va., Edwards will be back on the court this summer when the Jamaican women's senior national basketball team plays in two major tournaments with the goal of qualifying for the Olympic Games.

"We want people to know there is a Jamaican women's national basketball team and we're ranked 49th in the world," said Edwards, who was a developmental player with the New York Liberty in 1997. "When I was in high school [in Jamaica), we didn't even have high school basketball for girls. We're growing and trying to get people to put in the time and Fake Balenciaga Handbags resources to help us develop these young girls."

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For the tournaments this month, Centro Basket, a qualifier for the 2011 FTBA Americas Championship, and the Central American and Caribbean Games, Edwards will be joined by several players from the New York-New Jersey area. The team trained this past week in New Jersey.

"I'm very proud to be included. It's an honor," said Taj ay Asmeade, a graduate of the Frederick Douglass Academy in Harlem. Asmeade recently completed two years at Trinity Valley Community College in Athens, Texas, and will be attending Seton Hall University in the fall.

A 6-foot-3 center, Asmeade is eager to play alongside Edwards. "I feel I can have a pro career with the right help, right team, staying focused and continuing to work hard," she said.

Danielle Moseley has lived in the U.S. for 17 years but maintains strong ties to her home country. After graduating Alexander McQueen from college with a finance degree, she worked as an analyst for three years before being laid off. These days, she juggles several jobs, including being an assistant women's basketball coach at New Jersey City University.

"To compete, I had to tell all my bosses I'm going to be gone for a month," said Moseley, a 6-foot-2 forward. "It's a very overwhelming and humbling opportunity that I've been granted."

Edwards hopes good results at the upcoming tournaments will lead to desperately needed sponsorship and financial support. They are working with Team Jamaica Bickle, an organization founded to provide assistance for athletes from Jamaica and the Caribbean.

"We're doing everything we can for the sake of our country," said Edwards.

By LOIS ELFMAN

Special to the AmNews

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