November 2024 ushered in a big change for the Atlanta Dream: after parting ways with Tanisha Wright, the team hired first-year WNBA coach Karl Smesko. He was known as the founding coach of the women's basketball program at Florida Gulf Coast — and held the 3rd winningest percentage behind Geno Auriemma and Kim Mulkey — but a lot of fans didn't know who he was, or what to expect.
It's safe to say that any expectations have been matched and smashed. The Dream could very well win a whole championship this season, a reality the team hasn't come close to since 2013. The team's roster is perhaps the best in franchise history, built steadily by way of free agency trades in early 2025, and at the center of it is a coach who knows exactly what he's doing.
Atlanta took a chance on a relatively unknown coach
Smesko was known for his offensive prowess before arriving in Atlanta, an area the team desperately needed to grow within. The Dream had no problem admitting the team was rebuilding and looking toward the future, and GM Dan Padover took a chance on Smesko.
That chance has more than paid out. The Dream has racked up the most wins in franchise history and entered the postseason with a 30-14 record, perched just under the Las Vegas Aces. And while the team's steady rise through the season has caught some unprepared, it's been clear since early in the season that Smesko was building something special.
Back in May the Dream took down the Seattle Storm 94-97, a game that Padover told the Athletic first made him realize Atlanta had a real shot this season. As the outlet also noted, Smesko has since gone on to win the most games of any first-year coach, and the Dream landed a top 4 seed for the first time in 7 years. Smesko added the 29th win of the season to his roster on September 11, passing the record set by Michael Cooper (then coach of the LA Sparks) in 2000.
The Dream's roster is dominant
But the strongest testament to Smesko's abilities as a coach is the players on his roster, many of whom are having career-high seasons. Allisha Gray in particular has become a genuine MVP threat and is averaging 18.4 points, and 5.3 rebounds per game. She's proven herself as a legitimate All-Star, a multifaceted threat on both ends of the court, and a thrilling athlete to watch. All of that was always in her, but Smesko's patient and steady coaching has spurred the best.
Brionna Jones, who joined the team after making the move from the Connecticut Sun this season, has also thrived. She's joined by Brittney Griner, who departed Phoenix after spending her entire career with the Mercury, and by Rhyne Howard, who was drafted by the Dream in 2022.
At the Athletic also noted, Smesko told the team ahead of the preseason that if they wanted a championship, this roster could pull it off. And, as we're all beginning to see, he might have been right.
The verdict: Coach Karl Smesko gets an A — simply because he had a little more to work with in terms of his roster than other first-year coaches — and will undoubtedly only to continue to improve from there.