The Arrival: The Padover Affect
Since 2021, the Atlanta Dream have been in a state of rebuild.
The arrival of General Manager Dan Padover in October 2021 was the catalyst needed to bring change and a new regime to the franchise. His three seasons with the Las Vegas Aces proved his commitment to make necessary moves, from hiring coaches to free agency trades to draft-night selections. Padover plays the long game– conceptualizing the strategic direction to create long-term success for a franchise.
The dismissal of former head coach Tanisha Wright follows her three-season record of 48-68. Despite key players’ absences due to injury last year and her perseverance in making the postseason for a second consecutive year, Wright’s contributions have ended.
So, the Dream are left with a stacked roster while awaiting the roles and responsibilities decided by their new leader.
From the Gulf Coast to the Big Peach
Just as Allen Iverson still holds the nickname “The Answer,” how does new head coach Karl Smesko have the potential to be the answer for the Atlanta Dream? Is there any pressure for Coach Smesko’s first season?
Smesko has spent the last 23 years as the head coach of the Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball program. His offensive acumen, position-less basketball gameplay, and player development are efficient concepts to bring to the Dream.
Smesko’s success speaks for itself. He has the third-highest winning percentage (84.5%) among active women’s head coaches. He shares that company with Geno Auriemma, the head coach of the University of Connecticut (UConn), and Kim Mulkey, the head coach of Louisiana State University (LSU).
The Dream have struggled to operate under the fundamental Xs and Os of basketball. They performed in the league’s bottom tier in field goal percentage and three-point rate, never converting over 30%.
This past season, putting together a solid 40 minutes of gameplay was a struggle. Close games, losses by single digits, and a first-round playoff appearance are not enough to shed glimmers of hope into the Dream. Too many key additions, like Jordin Canada and Aerial Powers, never blossomed due to injury, while heavy reliance on key players — Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray — revealed their greatest weakness to opponents.
A team with a 2013 finals appearance has regressed to a first-round knockout team in the playoffs. However, the team’s loss of form indicates that they are not capitalizing on players’ strengths and finding areas for growth opportunities, which is not indicative of talent and potential.
The Building Blocks
Karl Smesko appears up to the challenge as he makes the jump from collegiate to professional play.
The Atlanta Dream’s roster is filled with talent at all positions— size, defensive prowess, and offensive development. How do they get over the hump and possibly become a .500 team? With veteran leadership and performance from Tina Charles, who may return in 2025, talented youth in Maya Caldwell, Hayley Jones, and Laetecia Amihere, the combination of players just seeks coherence.
Now, with an offensive frame of mind and utilizing the three-ball game, Rhyne Howard and Allisha Gray are strong building blocks to start his framework.
“We need to leverage their strengths and put them in optimal positions to play to their greatness,” Smesko commented about his newly inherited guards. Both players move at a high tempo, can shoot off the dribble, and are strong defensive players.
However, with a healthy Jordin Canada marked as a true point guard and Howard and Gray as shooting guards, there can be balance behind the perimeter and coming off the bench for substitutions.
Player development is a part of Smesko’s success story. Coming from the collegiate level, his guidance to his young core players will be critical to the performance of the starting five, as well as elevating the consistency of play coming off the bench.
The Framework
Strategy, experience, and talent are characteristics that bode well in building a team. General Manager Padover creates a strategy to analyze the market so that candidates can lead a team. The head coach market pool is saturated. Who fits the mold for today’s needs and tomorrow’s goals?
Karl Smesko is the man for the job, ready to start calling plays, such as the “…ATL’s for a number of years, above-the-line shots, that just means advantage layups, where we’re open, catch and shoot threes… trying to create as many of those shots as possible so the ATL’s will be brought to the ATL”.
With Nia Coffey, Rhyne Howard, and Allisha Gray present for Smesko’s introductory press conference alongside Padover, he assured them of his goal of “putting people in the best position to be successful and helping the Atlanta Dream win basketball games.”
Alas, discussions within the front office lead to a specific selection for the best head coach. He is then responsible for developing, encouraging, and igniting a winning culture for the franchise. Also, he instills a winning mindset for all 12 players of said team. The camaraderie, chemistry, and future achievements that lie ahead for the Dream franchise rest in trust among one another.
Dan Padover has matched Karl Smesko for the Atlanta Dream with all the right pieces to learn and win on and off the court.
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