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STORM/WNBA FINALS

STORM/WNBA FINALS - Hurricanes or hoops, Edwards always has it in perspective 2004-10-12 by Mark Moschetti Journal Reporter SEATTLE -- For Simone Edwards, perspective comes with weathering a 6-26 expansion season. Or weathering changes in her role. Or weathering a hurricane. So no matter if the Jamaican native is on the court or on the bench during tonight`s third and deciding game of the WNBA Finals, make no mistake that the happiest person in KeyArena will be ... well, Simone Edwards. ``I can`t believe (this) will be the championship game,`` said Edwards, a Storm original from 2000, whose duties through her five seasons here have ranged from starting at center to first off the bench to no playing time at all, depending on the situation. ``So many people would like to be here and just sitting on the bench. It`s like getting a job, and the boss tells you what to do. You can take it or leave it.`` When the Storm and Connecticut Sun tip off at 6 p.m., the 6-foot-4 Edwards will be focusing not so much on herself, but on her team and especially on friends and family home in hurricane-battered Jamaica. ``It`s like I wrote on my shoes,`` she said, gesturing toward her footwear on which was penned, ``For all the hurricane victims.`` ``There were two houses (in my village) that were smashed to the ground. Everyone around me, their roofs blew off. And it`s harder for them because a lot of them don`t have insurance. ``I know what it`s like to be hit by a hurricane.`` So the Storm`s drive this deep into the playoffs has provided some sense of respite for the home folks who`ve had much more pressing things on their minds. It hasn`t mattered to them if Edwards (who has seen time in six of Seattle`s seven postseason contests) is playing or not. ``They announce (the games) over the radio station. I`ve gotten messages from home,`` Edwards said. ``My mom was like, `I ran to the bathroom to pray.``` For all the well-deserved adoration showered upon the Storm`s brighter stars, Edwards has remained a fan favorite. Almost as soon as she steps onto the court, she`s waving her arms to the crowd to raise the decibel level a notch or two -- and the fans respond. Imagine her feeling, then, when the voices of 17,000 fans rained upon the court during Sunday`s Game 2, which the Storm hung on to win, 67-65, forcing tonight`s deciding Game 3. It wasn`t that long ago when not even 4,000 would trickle into the Key to watch a team that was struggling to get on its feet. ``Sometimes, I`m not playing at all, or sometimes, I`m playing for a few minutes,`` Edwards said. ``But the thing I always keep in mind is that the crowd has been here supporting me, and if I`m not playing, I have to keep the crowd in it.`` Coming into this season, Edwards` grip on a roster spot was tenuous at best. She doesn`t know whether she`ll be back next year. ``The furthest I`m looking at now is I`m going to Italy (to play after the WNBA season),`` she said. ``You never know what the future is. ``But I know what (Tuesday) is,`` she said. ``It`s the championship game. I want to win a championship for these fans. This is the moment.`` And for Edwards, it`s easy to keep this moment in perspective. Because she has weathered a lot of tough ones just to get here. Edwards` charitable foundation, Simone 4 Children, was created to assist underprivileged kids locally and around the world. More information is available online at www.Simone4Children.org, or by writing to P.O. Box 53464, Bellevue, WA. 98015.