Karl Smesko was hired by the Atlanta Dream to be the newest head coach in the WNBA. The 54-year-old will make the jump to the pros after a 22-year stint at Florida Gulf Coast.
His philosophy in college was based largely around the three-point line so all of his players were listed at the same made-up position on the roster.
Smesko, a former point guard at Kent State, began coaching on the Division II level in 1997 and won a national title in his lone season at Walsh University. He later spent two years as an assistant at Maryland and two years at IPFW. FCGU brought him to Fort Myers in 2002.
The Eagles went 611-112 during Smesko’s tenure. They won 14 regular season titles in the ASUN, 11 ASUN tournament titles, reached the postseason in all 17 years as a Division I program (including 10 NCAA Tournament appearances), and even won four games in March Madness.
Needless to say, Smesko was overwhelmingly successful at Florida Gulf Coast. He was the ASUN Coach of the Year 13 times for a reason!
A large part of what made the Eagles so successful was their ability to knock down three-pointers. They won 108 of 112 conference games from 2018-2024 by shooting the lights out from beyond the arc. There are approximately 350 teams on the D1 level of college basketball. Smesko’s teams ranked at or near the top in three-point attempts per game during that stretch.
- 2018: 8th
- 2019: 2nd
- 2020: 1st
- 2021: 1st
- 2022: 1st
- 2023: 1st
- 2024: 2nd
Just for example, Florida Gulf Coast beat Kennesaw State 93-65 last season. The Owls made two of their six three-point shot attempts. The Eagles made 11 of their 25 three-point shot attempts.
To really drive the point home, Karl Smesko listed every single one of his players at the same position on the roster. They are all a “Shooter.”
The Atlanta Dream lost in the first round of the WNBA playoffs in back-to-back years, which led to the ouster of Tanisha Wright. Rhyne Howard, Allisha Gray and the rest of their teammates better get ready to shoot!