Head Coach Karl Smesko

SMESKO

PERSONAL:

  • Smesko, a native of Bath, Ohio (born October 2, 1970)
  • Graduated Summa Cum Laude from Kent State in 1993 with a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism
  • Completed his master’s degree in education from Walsh University in 1998
  • Inducted into the Revere High School Athletics Hall of Fame
  • His father, Al, is a former teacher who served as the head boys basketball coach at Revere High School in Richfield, Ohio from 1969-83
  • His brother, Kyle, is the quarterback’s coach for the U.S. Coast Guard Academy’s football program

COACHING CAREER (heading into 2024-2025 season):

  • Named the eighth coach in the history of the Atlanta Dream on Nov. 13, 2025

  • Prior to joining the Dream, he spent 26 seasons as a Head Coach at the collegiate level. When he left the college game, he was eighth overall in total wins 672-137 (.831) and third overall win percentage among all active DI women's basketball head coaches, behind UConn's Geno Auriemma (1,213-262, .882) and LSU's Kim Mulkey (723-118, .860)

Florida Gulf Coast University (FGCU)

2002-2024: Head Coach – 611-110 record (.847)

13x ASUN Coach of the Year (2009, 2011-2016, 2018-2023)

FGCU: NCAA Division II – Independent (2002-2007)

  • On May 2, 2001, Smesko accepted the head coaching position at FGCU, which didn’t have a women’s basketball program at the time
  • FGCU began their first season as an NCAA Division II (DII) independent in 2002-03 and he led the team to a 30-1 record in their first year
  • FGCU compiled a 132-21 record at the DII level (.863 winning percentage)
  • FGCU went to the NCAA DII Elite Eight in 2006 and Final Four in 2007, finishing as National Runner-up
  • FGCU earned the program’s first-ever ranking from the WBCA in December 2005 and were ranked in every poll over the rest of the DII era that ran through the end of the 2006-07 season
  • In that final DII year, the team earned its first No. 1 ranking in early February and spent the rest of the season atop the poll

FGCU: NCAA Division I – Atlantic Sun Conference (2008-2024)

  • FGCU transitioned to NCAA Division I in 2007 and joined the Atlantic Sun Conference (ASUN)
  • Since elevating to Division I in 2007, FGCU has compiled a 479-89 (.843) record, marking highest winning percentage in NCAA Division I women's basketball history, outpacing the next closest blue blood programs UConn (.799) and Tennessee (.798) Won 14 ASUN regular season titles
  •  
    • 11 ASUN tournament championships
    • Progressed to postseason play in all 15 seasons (10 NCAA Tournament and 5 WNIT appearances)
    • 14 straight 25-win seasons – an accomplishment only achieved by UConn and FGCU
    • Nine players named to either the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA) Scholar-Athlete team at least once or earn a D-I-AAA postgraduate scholarship
    • 16 players named to the ASUN’s All-Academic team since its inception in 2011-12
    • 7 players named ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year
    • 22 of his former players are have entered the coaching ranks, including three who are head coaches at the collegiate level (Read more about the Smesko coaching tree here)
    •  

Purdue University Fort Wayne (formerly IPFW)

NCAA Division II (Great Lakes Valley Conference)

1999-2001: Head Coach – 32-22 record (.593)

  • At IPFW, he took over a two-win team and led them to a 11-win improvement (13-14) in year one
  • His second team won 19 games, still the fourth most in school history

University of Maryland

NCAA Division I (Atlantic Coast Conference)

1998-1999: Assistant Coach

  • Assistant Coach under Chris Weller where team finished with a 16-15 record

Walsh University

NCAA Division II (Independent)

1997-1998: Head Coach – 29-5 record (.853) – NAIA Division II National Champions

  • Began his head coaching career as a 27-year-old at Walsh University in North Canton, Ohio
  • Walsh saw a 12-game improvement over the previous season
  • Walsh predicted to finish sixth in a nine-team Mid-Ohio Conference and was the 32nd, and final selection, into the NAIA tournament field
  • Defeated five nationally-ranked teams in six days to claim the national title
  • Mid-Ohio Conference Coach of the Year (1997)
  • NAIA Coach of the Year (1997)
  • Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame w/ Walsh team (2012)
COACHING RECORD: SeasonInstitutionRecordPostseason
1997–98Walsh Univ.29–5NAIA DII National Champion
1999–00IPFW13–14
2000–01IPFW19–8
2002–03FGCU30–1
2003–04FGCU18–8
2004–05FGCU21–9
2005–06FGCU29–2NCAA DII Elite Eight
2006–07FGCU34–1NCAA DII Final Four, National Runner Up
2007–08FGCU22–9WNIT Second Round
2008–09FGCU26–5WNIT Second Round
2009–10FGCU24–7WNIT First Round
2010-11FGCU28–4WNIT Second Round
2011–12FGCU29–3NCAA First round
2012–13FGCU27–7WNIT First Round
2013–14FGCU26–8NCAA First round
2014–15FGCU31–3NCAA Second round
2015–16FGCU33–6WNIT Runner Up
2016–17FGCU26–9NCAA First Round
2017–18FGCU31–5NCAA Second Round
2018–19FGCU28–5NCAA First Round
2019–20FGCU30–3Postseason not held due to COVID-19
2020–21FGCU26–3NCAA First Round
2021–22FGCU30–3NCAA Second Round
2022–23FGCU33–4NCAA Second Round
2023–24FGCU29–4NCAA First Round