Florida Gulf Coast University’s Karl Smesko has announced he is stepping down as head women’s basketball coach of the Eagles to take the same job with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA.
“Coach Smesko’s legacy at FGCU is not just about winning games,” said FGCU president Aysegul Timur. “It’s about the students and employees he has mentored along the way, providing them with opportunities for growth and success on and off the court. Now, it’s his turn to soar, and we are so proud of him.
“There is joy and sadness with the departure of Karl Smesko,” said FGCU director of athletics Colin Hargis. “As the founding Head Coach of our Women’s Basketball program, Karl has led this team to national prominence. He orchestrated the rise of a start-up to a destination program. I am excited for Karl and grateful for his contributions to this department and University. We look forward to seeing what lies ahead and the impact he will make at his next position in the WNBA.”
“I had a great experience at FGCU,” Smesko said. “I’m very thankful for all of the former players, assistants and administrators who have helped make it a great experience for so many years.”
Smesko arrived in Fort Myers in 2002 tasked with building the FGCU women’s basketball program from the ground up. In his first year, he led fledgling Division II FGCU to a 30-1 record. Smesko stayed to oversee FGCU’s jump from the Division II ranks into a full-fledged NCAA Division I program, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference in 2007. The Eagles continued to see unmatched success, winning 84 of their first 85 conference home games.
Smesko won 20 or more games each season at FGCU, and also posted seven 30-win campaigns with the Eagles. Under his 23-year leadership, FGCU earned the distinction as the winningest D-I program in the history of college basketball with a .845 all-time winning percentage.
Smesko’s 26-year resume as a head coach sits among the best in all of women’s college basketball. He spent one year at Walsh and then two at Purdue Fort Wayne before coming to FGCU. He leaves FGCU eighth overall in total wins (672-139, .829) in NCAA D-I and was fourth overall in winning percentage among all active D-I women’s basketball head coaches.
Smesko engineered FGCU into a mid-major power with its long-range offensive attack. The Eagles led the nation in made 3-pointers per game five out of the last seven years. Since 2012, FGCU has led the nation in the category six times and has finished no lower than sixth. FGCU broke the NCAA record for the most threes in a single season, sinking 431 in 2017-18. The style of play brought 14 ASUN regular season titles to Fort Myers, 10 NCAA Tournament berths and four NCAA Tournament victories.
FGCU defeated seven Associated Press Top 25 opponents with Smekso at the helm and produced seven undefeated seasons in the ASUN. The team has won 14-of-17 regular-season championships since joining the ASUN, while also never finishing lower than second in the final standings. FGCU emerged as the winningest 12-seed in NCAA Tournament history, taking down Missouri in 2018, Virginia Tech in 2022 and Washington State in 2023. Smesko also guided FGCU to WNIT runner-up status in 2016. FGCU posted its highest finish in the AP Poll during the 2014-15 season at No. 21 overall.
Smesko is a 13-time ASUN Coach of the Year selection and coached 10 ASUN Player of the Year award winners. Throughout the years, he hired 24 former players through his stellar player-to-coach pipeline. Smesko also developed two WNBA draft picks during his time with FGCU. In 2022, Kierstan Bell was selected as the 11th overall pick by the Las Vegas Aces, becoming the first-ever Eagle to be selected in the First Round and the highest draft pick in program history. Bell is now a two-time WNBA Champion with the Aces.
Success on the court for FGCU women’s basketball is nearly matched by its success in the classroom. Nine student-athletes have been named to the Division I-AAA Athletic Directors Association Scholar-Athlete team at least once or earn a post-graduate scholarship from the organization. Smesko has coached 16 student-athletes that have received ASUN All-Academic Team honors since the award was created in the 2011-12 season. Seven times, FGCU women’s basketball players were named the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Long-time associate head coach Chelsea Lyles has been named the second head coach in FGCU program history. A 2010 graduate of FGCU, Lyles is former player for Smesko who has risen through the ranks on the FGCU coaching staff from student assistant all the way to her new position as the program’s leader.
“It is with great enthusiasm that I announce Chelsea Lyles as the second head coach of the FGCU women’s basketball program,” Hargis said. “Chelsea has demonstrated an unwavering commitment to FGCU and the women’s basketball program over the last 16 years. She is prepared to lead the Eagles in the next chapter of our women’s basketball program and I am excited for our student-athletes to learn from Coach Lyles’ leadership.”
“Chelsea will do an outstanding job,” Smesko stated. “There couldn’t be anybody more ready for this opportunity.”
Tagged with: ASUN FGCU WNBA
