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 womens 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 .

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

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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, Smeskos 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. Its a more equal playing field to win the whole thing and that was appealing to me."

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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 Smeskos club in his tenure there. Las Vegas did it last season, and went on to win the WNBA title as well.

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But in Smesko the Dream trust.

"Hes a coach that really believes in you and he knows whats best," Dream star Angel Reese said. "And Im really thankful for him, for being able to help me with my career and help me be better for the team — because I dont 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 mentors footsteps, winning 30 games and taking the