How will FGCU coach Smesko translate to the WNBA Dream?

Karl Smesko has built Florida Gulf Coast into one of the most consistent mid-major women’s basketball teams in the country over the past 22 years. During that time, one question kept coming up: Would he move to a major conference?

Instead, Smesko left FGCU and moved to the WNBA. The Atlanta Dream named him their new coach on Wednesday. Six weeks ago, the Dream parted ways with Tanisha Wright after three seasons and began a hiring process that included a large pool of candidates, Atlanta general manager Dan Padover told ESPN.

Padover said Smesko, 54, stood out for his strategic acumen, and in the end the Dream managed to lure him away from Fort Myers, Florida.

Atlanta finished 15-25 in the 2024 season, finishing eighth and losing to the eventual champion New York Liberty in the first round of the WNBA playoffs. Led by a core that includes 2022 No. 1 draft pick Rhyne Howard, the Dream are looking to climb back into the top tier of the WNBA. The franchise has appeared in the WNBA Finals three times, in 2010, 2011 and 2013.

Can Smesko help put the pieces together to make the dream come true? ESPN’s Charlie Creme, Alexa Philippou and Michael Voepel take a look at Smesko’s credentials and how this move impacts the Dream and FGCU.

What makes Smesko dream?

Cream: With the hiring of Smesko, Dream has fully entered the world of analytics. No program in college basketball has embraced the “3-pointers or layups only” concept more than FGCU under Smesko. From the 2019-20 through 2022-23 seasons, the Eagles led the country in 3-point attempts and shots. Even last season, when the Eagles ranked just sixth in made 3-pointers, they ranked second nationally in 3-point percentage.

Smesko wants his teams to make as many three-pointers or drive to the basket as possible: take the shot that provides the most value or has the highest success rate. It will be interesting to see how professional players adapt to this philosophy or if Smesko changes his approach – but expect Atlanta to make fewer jump shots from inside next season.

Voepel: Former Dream coach Nicki Collen was an assistant at FGCU for Smesko during the 2014-15 season before moving to the WNBA. Collen, now the head coach at Baylor, praised Smesko’s basketball IQ.

Smesko’s name has come up for other college coaching positions over the years. In 2017, he was offered the position with the USC Trojans women’s program. But he stayed at FGCU, saying it was “hard to leave something that you really love and have invested so much in.”

So it says a lot about how hard the dream haunted Smesko when he left his long comfort zone. Atlanta, under new ownership since 2021, believes Smesko’s basketball philosophy fits the league, even if he has no WNBA experience. His Eagles’ system has long embraced the concept of positionless basketball that has increasingly become the norm in the WNBA.

Is Smesko a good fit for Atlanta?

Philippou: Smesko’s offensive system should be a breath of fresh air in Atlanta, considering the Dream ranked last in the league in offensive efficiency and second-to-last in pace in 2024 (and none of these challenges are limited to last season). was). It will be fascinating to see what this means for the future makeup of the Dream squad.

They will likely continue to build around Howard and Allisha Gray, who are strong 3-point shooters. But for a team that shot 30.8% from distance last season and whose top players weren’t known for pressuring the floor, it won’t be shocking if there are roster moves to acquire players, that fit better into Smesko’s system.

Voepel: Personally, Smesko is more introverted than many of his colleagues. How will the Dream players react to this? Free agent Tina Charles, who brought a strong veteran presence to the Dream in 2024, told ESPN in September that she hopes to play at least one more season. But Charles, who turns 36 in December, was close to Wright, who was also a former teammate. So we’ll see if Charles, who averaged 14.9 points and 9.6 rebounds in 2024, is back with Atlanta in 2025.

Will we see more college coaches make the jump to the WNBA?

Philippou: It is not a given that other coaches will follow in Smesko’s footsteps. Yes, the year-round nature of the college game is grueling, and many coaches point to NIL and transfer portal changes making their jobs more transactional. Still, coaching contracts at the college level tend to be safer in terms of length and compensation than those in professional sports.

Just look at this offseason, where six WNBA coaches were fired and none except Wright had been with their teams for more than two years. And while franchises like the Las Vegas Aces and Phoenix Mercury each negotiated seven-figure deals to Becky Hammon and Nate Tibbetts, that’s not the norm.

For reference, USA Today’s head coaching salary database lists 18 female college coaches making at least $1 million this season (Smesko ranks 59th in the database at $450,000). That means big-name coaches like Dawn Staley, Jeff Walz and Adia Barnes would likely have to take a pay cut to come to the WNBA.

If the rest of the WNBA invests in more lucrative coaching contracts, more college coaches might consider making the jump.

Where is Florida’s Gulf Coast?

Voepel: Smesko, a native of Ohio, built FGCU from the ground up: He started the program in Division II in 2002 and moved to Division I in 2007. He has been the program’s only coach to date. One of his former players, Chelsea Lyles, was promoted from Eagles assistant head coach to head coach.

Those are big shoes to fill: The Eagles have won 14 of 17 regular-season titles since moving to the Atlantic Sun and have never finished worse than second. They have had perfect conference records seven times and Smesko is the ASUN Coach of the Year 13 times. FGCU has appeared in 10 NCAA tournaments.

But if anyone knows the system as well as Smesko, it’s Lyles, who is now in her 17th season at FGCU between her time as a player and on the coaching staff.

Cream: Smesko’s Eagles won NCAA Tournament games three times as a No. 12 seed, including in 2022 and 2023. Since 2011, FGCU has only lost more than one game in the ASUN once. In 2022, the Eagles defeated Michigan State in the regular season. Last year, FGCU toppled North Carolina. Smesko routinely fielded as many major conference opponents as he could, even when many feared he was playing against his style. And he did so largely without any big names in his squad.

The Aces’ Kierstan Bell is the only WNBA player he coached at FGCU.