Less than 2 years after coaching in college at Florida, Carl Smesko led the Atlanta Dream to the WNBA Finals.

After eight 30-win seasons, Carl Smesko left the Florida Gulf Coast campus to chase the title he never got there with the Atlanta Dream.

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Atlanta Dream players speak during their postgame press conference after a loss to the Indiana Fever on Aug. 16, 2026.

Carl Smesko enjoyed considerable success while coaching the Florida Gulf Coast women's basketball team. But instead of staying at the college level, where she built a powerhouse at FGCU, Smesko pursued a new challenge in the WNBA.

When Smesko arrived at FGCU, the program competed in Division II. By the time he left to become Atlanta's next head coach, the Eagles had established themselves as one of the top programs in Division I women's basketball.

Under Smesko, FGCU routinely led the nation in 3-pointers. The Eagles also posted eight 30-win seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament 10 times with Smesko at the helm, but he never won 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 done just about everything possible at FGCU and actually reached the program's ceiling.

The Atlanta Dream advanced to the WNBA playoff semifinals for the first time since 2018 with a Game 2 win.

Perhaps Smesko realized that his longtime dream of lifting the championship trophy needed to step out of his comfort zone and take a chance on the real dream of professional basketball.

So far, Smesko's gamble has paid off. He led Atlanta to 30 straight seasons, and after a first-round exit last year, the Dreams defeated their first two opponents in the 2026 postseason to reach the WNBA Finals for the first time since 2013.

The championship he never got at FGCU is now four wins away, with the title series against the Golden State Warriors set to begin Saturday.

"As good as we were in Florida Gulf Coast, the odds were great to have a championship like this," Smesko said. "In the pros, I definitely thought there were more opportunities. It's a more level playing field to win the whole game, and that appealed to me."

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The 2026 Finals will feature a mix of second-year coaches: Atlanta's Smesko and Golden State's Natalie Nakase, who is in just her second year. The Valkyries went 3-0 against Dream this season, making them the second team to sweep the Smesko club during his tenure there. Las Vegas did it last season and the Aces went on to win the WNBA Championship.

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"He's a coach who really believes in you and knows what's best," Dream star Angel Reyes said. And I'm really grateful to him for helping me in my career and helping me be better for the team - because I don't think I'd be in this situation as I am without him as an individual."

Smesko is quiet in many ways and fiercely loyal. The Dream offer came as FGCU began its 2024-25 season. He quit after two games that year, though some at the school believe he was tempted to do both for a few months to finish out the season.

He ended up giving the keys to FGCU to longtime senior assistant Chelsea Lyles. He ended up following in his coach's footsteps, winning 30 games and leading the Eagles to the NCAA Tournament.

Lyles followed Smesko to Atlanta after that season, as did others with FGCU ties. He has clearly said that dating has made life easier.

"It was great because we think about the game a little bit differently," Smesko said.

The Golden State Valkyries and Atlanta Dream will meet in Game 1 of the 2026 WNBA Finals on October 17 at the Chase Center in San Francisco.

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