Ready to Fly: FGCU Eagles Hire New Women’s Basketball Coach

Raina Harmon became the third Florida Gulf Coast University women’s basketball coach in program history in April following the departure of founding Head Coach Karl Smesko and after his successor, Chelsea Lyles, resigned from the position at the end of last season to join coach Smesko with the Atlanta Dream of the WNBA. Harmon was brought on from the University of Iowa after eight seasons as an assistant coach, where she helped the Hawkeyes win a combined five Big Ten Conference titles with a winning record of 208-63.

Harmon now leads a mid-major program steeped in a rich history of winning. The FGCU Eagles have been the primo program in the Atlantic Sun Conference since beginning their Division I play in the 2007-08 season, winning 15 regular-season titles and 11 ASUN tournament titles, and making 11 NCAA tournament appearances.

A Detroit native, Harmon is extremely enthusiastic about her first head coaching opportunity.

“This is the first time that I don’t have the luxury of having someone above me that I must run by an idea for their input,” she said. “My past coaches always encouraged me to ‘trust my gut,’ and I am enjoying the freedom that comes with knowing I already have what it takes to get the job done.”

Her culture of success is evident from her achievements in coaching and developing several WNBA draft picks, particularly Caitlin Clark, the No. 1 overall pick and 2024 Rookie of the Year. With the prestige and success that Harmon garnered during her time at Iowa working with Clark, Kate Martin, Lucy Olsen, Gabbie Marshall and Megan Gustafson, among others, she has been blessed with an environment of support from past head coaches, and in her words, “I’m ready!”

Harmon’s infectious smile and her seemingly unending energy are immediately noticed. She is focused and knows exactly what she wants to accomplish. When asked about what she appreciates most about the FGCU program, she was quick to respond: “I kept running into FGCU at the same region in the NCAA tournament and we even played the Eagles in a tournament at Hertz Arena, so I had opportunities to scout them and make

plans to play against them. I realized that this was a great fit for me and my philosophy of offensive play and high scoring.

“Yes, ‘raining threes’ is here to stay,” she said.

Confidence also comes from her knowing the program’s past successes.

“This is not a rebuild; it’s a rebrand,” said Harmon. “The bricks have already been laid — it’s just a new person leading.”

The Eagles will be integrating seven new players this season, including Towson University transfer Nay Staton and Michigan State transfer Sinai Douglas. All but one of the new players were acquired through the Division I and Junior College portal with one true freshman and one graduate student.

This leaves the team with five returnees from last year’s team: Cerina Rolle, Jordan Campbell, Maca Retamales, Karina Gordon and Anna Mortag.

“(Coach) Smesko really taught them how to play and now they are catching on to a slightly new style and other ideas quickly. And together, with all our coaching staff, have playoff experience which will greatly help the entire team,” Harmon said.

Despite so many new pieces this year, the team has developed a strong cohesion in a relatively short amount of time, something that Harmon has put a major emphasis on over the summer months. Trying to talk over the loud chatter and laughing after their first practice, Harmon exclaimed, “You can tell how well everyone is bonding and getting along by the volume levels before and after practice.”

“What I am enjoying the most is watching the girls’ growth on and off the court,” she added. “We are developing an ‘us versus them’ attitude, cheering for each other, holding each other accountable and coaching each other. The team is really close!”

That sentiment is echoed by returning senior Rolle: “We’ve actually gotten very close at the beginning. I feel like everyone has a great personality and we are open with each other, which is very important for a team. We will take that as an advantage and put it all on the court.”

In addition to counting on Rolle’s leadership on and off the court, Harmon noted, “You really need to watch Jordan (Campbell). She has really matured into a very vocal leader on the court. She is going to make a terrific contribution this year.”

The returning walk-on senior was surprised at the team’s first meeting by an unexpected scholarship. “I had no idea it was coming at all,” Campbell said. “I was so happy, even for a few days afterwards.”

As the team expectantly looks for another ASUN championship, Harmon is looking forward to a challenging schedule this season.

“You need to play against teams that will challenge your abilities if you want to grow,” she said. And that’s what she has scheduled for the non-conference part of the season. “Columbia and Davidson are returners, as we played them last year in their environment, and now they are coming here to Alico,” she explained. “We will also continue to maintain our relationship with Ave Maria to attract more and more fans.”

The big games this season will be when FGCU hosts South Carolina and Indiana. The Eagles will also play Stanford and Troy in a Thanksgiving tournament in Las Vegas. And on the road, they will match up with George Mason and Arkansas State.

There will be one preseason game this year on Nov. 1 and the first regular season game will be on Nov. 8.

For Harmon, the formula for the Eagles’ success is simple: “Efficiency, consistency and have some fun,” she said. “I’m ready! Just let me fly!”

FGCU Women’s Basketball Practice