Atlanta Dream hire Karl Smesko from Florida Gulf Coast as head coach
Tanisha Wright served three years as the head coach of the Atlanta Dream but the team had an overall record of 48-68 with her in charge. It was after the Dream were eliminated from the first round of the playoffs that she was fired.
The Dream's general manager and executive vice president, Dan Padover, called the decision "difficult" but said that the team needed to move in a new direction to become a top WNBA team.
So Atlanta took a deep dive into the women's college basketball pool of coaches. They ended up hiring Karl Smesko as their next head coach, out of Florida Gulf Coast.
In 18 seasons at FGCU, Smesko turned the Eagles into an NCAA tournament team. Before he joined the Eagles, he coached at Walsh University and Purdue Fort Wayne but holds an overall coaching record of 672-139. Smesko has proven that he has a history of developing his players into a winning culture and is a leader for women on the court.
Smesko helped the Eagles define an offensive identity that made the team effective and exciting to watch. Hopefully, he brings that to Atlanta because when Wright was head coach, the Dream seemed to struggle with identity and never ranked higher than seventh in made 3s within the past three seasons. But when looking at Smesko at FGCU they averaged the second most 3-point attempts in Division I last season.
"The W has intrigued me as a possibility for a long time," Smekso said Wednesday. "When this opportunity came up, it really seemed like the right place and the right time. I had great conversations with the general manager and with their ownership and this is the right move for me right now."
There have been noted attempts to get Smesko to the WNBA for a long time now, but he has not seen the right opportunity until now.
"Karl is a proven leader with a history of developing his players and creating a winning culture," Dream GM Dan Padover said. "His fast-paced, innovative style of play will be attractive to our players and fans alike. We are excited to have Karl bring his incredible basketball IQ to the Dream."
With Smesko leaving FGCU, former player Chelsea Lyles was named the next head coach of the Eagles after his move to Atlanta was official.