Revere grad is latest WNBA coach

by Sheldon Ocker

Revere Hall of Fame athlete Karl Smesko is the new head coach of the WNBA Atlanta Dream after a hugely successful run at Florida Gulf Coast University in Fort Myers.

Smesko founded the FGCU women’s basketball program as a Division II team in 2002 and posted a 30-1 record in his first season. In 2007, FGCU moved up as a mid-major program to Division I, joining the Atlantic Sun Conference.

The challenge of Division I did not put a dent in Smesko’s record, as he won 84 of his first 85 conference home games. FGCU won at least 20 games each year of Smesko’s tenure, and the school won 30 or more games seven times under Smesko.

FGCU eventually became the winningest basketball team in Division I, winning 84.5% of its games. Smesko won 14 conference championships, made 10 NCAA tournament appearances and won four postseason games. Smesko was named Atlantic Sun Conference Coach of the Year 13 times.

In the past seven seasons, FGCU led the nation’s collegiate women in made 3-pointers five times, which is one reason he was hired by the Dream, which was looking for an offensive fix.

“I had a great experience at FGCU,” Smesko said in a news release. “I am very thankful for all the former players, assistants and administrators who have helped me make it a great experience for so many years.”

Smesko, 54, graduated from Revere High School in 1989 after playing basketball and football for the Minutemen, making the All-Suburban basketball team as a senior. He was inducted into the Revere Hall of Fame in 2022. Smesko is the son of iconic Minutemen basketball coach Al Smesko.

As a student at Kent State, Smesko was already helping coach at his alma mater. He spent one year as head coach at Walsh University, compiling a 29-5 record and winning the national NAIA Division II title and being named NAIA national coach of the year at the age of 27.

He spent the next year as an assistant coach at Maryland before taking the head coaching job at Purdue-Fort Wayne for two seasons. From Fort Wayne, he went to FGCU, where his overall record was 672-139.

Smesko takes over an Atlanta Dream team that was 15-25 last season and hasn’t had a winning record since 2018. ∞