Less than 2 years after coaching college hoops in Florida, Karl Smesko leads Atlanta Dream to WNBA Finals

Karl Smesko enjoyed notable success during his time coaching the Florida Gulf Coast women’s basketball team. But rather than remain at the college level, where he had built a powerhouse at FGCU, Smesko chose in pursue a new challenge in the WNBA.

When Smesko arrived at FGCU, the program competed in Division II. By the time he left to become the next head coach of the Atlanta Dream, the Eagles had established themselves as one of the premier programs in Division I women’s basketball.

Under Smesko, FGCU routinely led the nation in 3-pointers made. The Eagles also recorded eight 30-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA tournament 10 times with Smesko at the helm, but he never captured the ultimate prize: an NCAA Division I championship. Perhaps the call about the opportunity in Atlanta came at just the right time for Smesko. He may have accomplished nearly everything possible at FGCU, effectively reaching the program's ceiling.

ATLANTA DREAM ADVANCE TO WNBA PLAYOFFS SEMIFINALS FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2018 WITH GAME 2 WIN

Perhaps Smesko realized that his long-sought dream of hoisting a championship trophy would require him to step outside his comfort zone and take a chance with the actual Dream at the professional basketball level.

So far, Smesko’s gamble has worked out. He has guided Atlanta to back-to-back 30-win seasons, and after a first-round exit last year, the Dream have swept their first two opponents in the 2026 postseason to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013.

The championship he was never going to get at FGCU is now four wins away, with the title series against the favored Golden State Valkyries set to begin on Saturday.

"As good as we were at Florida Gulf Coast, the odds were very stacked against us to make that type of championship run," Smesko said. "In the pros, I definitely thought there was more of an opportunity. It’s a more equal playing field to win the whole thing and that was appealing to me."

GOLDEN STATE VALKYRIES ERASE 16-POINT DEFICIT, STUN DALLAS WINGS TO REACH WNBA SEMIFINALS

The 2026 Finals will feature a matchup of second-year coaches: Smesko in Atlanta and Natalie Nakase in Golden State, which is in just its second year of existence. The Valkyries went 3-0 against the Dream this season, making them just the second team to sweep Smesko’s club in his tenure there. Las Vegas did it last season, and the Aces went on to win the WNBA title as well.

THE CRAIG CARTON SHOW–UNFILTERED, UNAPOLOGETIC AND UNMISSABLE. DOWNLOAD HIS DAILY PODCAST NOW!

But in Smesko the Dream trust.

"He’s a coach that really believes in you and he knows what’s best," Dream star Angel Reese said. "And I’m really thankful for him, for being able to help me with my career and help me be better for the team — because I don’t think I would be in this situation and thriving as I am individually without him."

Smesko is quiet in many ways, and fiercely loyal. The offer from the Dream came as FGCU was starting its 2024-25 season; he wound up leaving after two games that year, though some at the school believe he was tempted to try to handle both jobs at once for a few months and finish that season.

He ended up turning the keys to FGCU over to longtime top assistant Chelsea Lyles. She ended up following in her mentor’s footsteps, winning 30 games and taking the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament.

Lyles wound up following Smesko to Atlanta after that season, as did others with FGCU ties. He has made clear that the familiarity has made life easier.

"It’s been huge," Smesko said, "because we think about the game a little differently."

The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will face off at Chase Center in San Francisco in Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals on Oct. 17.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.