Revere High School graduate Karl Smesko Leaving Florida Gulf Coast University to become coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
Smesko, 54, is heading to the WNBA after 23 seasons as the women’s basketball coach at Florida Gulf Coast. Smesko compiled a 611-112 record as the school’s first and, to date, only coach. He is 672-139 overall as a head coach, having previously served as the women’s coach at Walsh University and Purdue Fort Wayne.
Smesko, a 1989 Revere graduate, has the third-highest winning percentage (.829) among active Division I women’s basketball coaches, trailing only UConn’s Geno Auriemma and LSU’s Kim Mulkey.
FGCU and UConn are the only Division I teams to have won 25 or more games each of the last 14 seasons.
“The W has intrigued me as a possibility for a long time,” Smexo told The Associated Press on Wednesday. “When this opportunity came, it really felt like the right place and the right time. I had great conversations with the general manager and their owners and this is the right move for me now.
“…I’m not afraid of challenges. The conditions are in place for great things to happen in Atlanta, and if you make great decisions along the way and keep improving, anything is possible. I’m not going to Atlanta. I’m not realistic about a WNBA championship.” “Unless you thought it was impossible.”
Atlanta advanced to the playoffs with a 15-25 record in the 2024 regular season, but lost to the eventual WNBA champion New York Liberty in the first round. The Dream has not had a winning record since the 2018 season.
“Carl is a proven leader who has developed players and built a winning culture,” Dream general manager Dan Padover said in a press release. “His fast, innovative style of play will be attractive to both our players and fans. We are excited to have Carl bring his incredible basketball IQ to the Dream.”
Dream owner Larry Gottesdiener called the hiring “an exciting moment for our fans, the city of Atlanta and the entire Dream organization.”
“A great basketball spirit is coming to our city,” Gottesdiener said. “Karl’s passion and dedication to women’s basketball brings out the best in everyone around him, and I am confident we have found the right leader to take our organization to the next level.”
Smesko, a basketball and soccer player at Revere, earned degrees from Kent State in 1993 and Walsh University in 1998. He was Walsh’s head coach for one season and led the Cavaliers to the 1997-98 NAIA Division II national title. He spent two seasons as head coach at Purdue Fort Wayne and one season as an assistant at Maryland before going to FGCU.
Smesko arrived in Fort Myers in 2001 and built FGCU’s women’s basketball program from the ground up. In his first year, Division II FGCU went 30-1 in 2002-03. FGCU made the jump to Division I in 2007, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference. The Eagles have won 84 of their first 85 conference home games.
Smesko won 20 or more games every season at FGCU and had seven 30-win seasons. In 23 years, FGCU has won the most wins of any Division I program with a winning percentage of .845, has posted seven undefeated seasons in the league, won 14 Atlantic Sun Conference regular season titles, 11 Atlantic Sun Conference tournament championships and 10 NCAA Tournament berths. occupied. Played in four NCAA Tournament games and won.
“Coach Smesko’s legacy at FGCU is not just about winning games,” FGCU President Aysegul Timur said in a press release. “It’s about the students and staff he has mentored and provided opportunities for growth and success both on and off the court. Now it’s his turn to soar and we are very proud of him.”
Three of FGCU’s NCAA Tournament wins came as a No. 12 seed, over Missouri in 2018, Virginia Tech in 2022 and Washington State in 2023. The 2014-15 Eagles team was ranked 21st in the AP poll.
FGCU has led the nation in 3-pointers made per game in five of the past seven seasons. FGCU broke the NCAA record for most 3-pointers made in a single season with 431 in 2017-18.
“There is both joy and sadness in the departure of Karl Smesko,” FGCU Director of Athletics Colin Hargis said in a press release. “As the founding head coach of our women’s basketball program, Karl led this team to national prominence. He orchestrated the growth of a start-up into a purpose-driven program. I am pleased and grateful for Karl’s contributions to this department and the university. “We look forward to seeing what impact she will make in her next position in the WNBA.”
Smesko was named 13 Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year and has coached 10 ASUN Player of the Year Award winners. Smesko also developed two WNBA draft picks out of FGCU, including Canton McKinley graduate Kierstan Bell, the 11th overall pick of the Las Vegas Aces in 2022. Bell is currently a two-time WNBA champion with the Aces.
“I am humbled and honored to become the head coach of the Atlanta Dream,” Smesko said in a press release. “I am grateful for the amazing 23 years I spent at FGCU and will be forever indebted to the incredible women who played for me, the outstanding professionals who coached with me, and the passionate fan base who supported us along the way. I am grateful to Atlanta Dream’s leadership for trusting me and wanting to get started and lead this organization into the future.”
Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com..
This article originally appeared in the Akron Beacon Journal. Esteemed alumnus Karl Smesko has been hired as coach of the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream.
