SEATTLE — Simone Edwards was nicknamed the "Jamaican Hurricane," and it was a fitting title.
After the Storm legend passed away at 49 after a two-year battle with ovarian cancer, her former coaches and teammates are remembering her as a "force of nature" both on and off the court.
"It's really unreal right now. She's going to be missed by people in many states and many countries," lifelong friend Jill Gallagher said.
Gallagher had a front row seat for the entirety of the Simone Edwards experience.
She was a Storm season ticketholder since the franchise started and a friend of Edwards that entire time.
She was there when Edwards became the first Jamaican player in the WNBA in 2000, and she was there to watch Edwards and Seattle win the WNBA championship in 2004.
"It was so much fun," she said. "That woman would hit the court and just be the most energetic and magnetic person on the court."
Former Storm coach Jenny Boucek remembers Edwards in a similar light.
"Her spirit was the heart and soul of our team," she said.
Boucek was the head coach of the Storm from 2015-2017 and was an assistant for the team when Edwards was there.
She said her enthusiasm was contagious.
"From dancing with (mascot) Doppler every game, to passing to Doppler one game while she was in the game, to all her towel waving, it was who she was," Boucek said.
Gallagher, meanwhile, said she first met Edwards through a dinner with her foundation.
The two friends eventually took a trip to Edwards' hometown in Jamaica to do community service.
Gallagher said that trip put her impact in perspective.
"She is venerated in her hometown," she said. "We raised a lot of money. We had barrels and barrels of school supplies. We gave out backpacks. We built a school in Kingston... Once we did all of that together we were like sisters."
"Sisters" is exactly how Vanessa Gidden describes Edwards as well.
"The pride that Simi has for Jamaica in general, it's out of this world," Gidden said.
Gidden and Edwards were former teammates on the Jamaican National Team.
Gidden said Edwards paved the way for her WNBA career.
"Simi was the first and she made sure she wasn't the last," she said.
For Edwards, it's her legacy that will last in Seattle and beyond.
"That impact will go far and it will continue," Gidden said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The below video is from September 2021