The team was led by a group of five seniors, along with sophomore Sarah Hansen, who has been named the Atlantic Sun MVP, the A-Sun Scholar-Athlete of the Year and a Full Court Mid-Major All American honorable mention.
Much credit for the lady Eagles’ success goes to Head Coach Karl Smesko and his team, having built the FGCU women’s basketball program from scratch and placed the university on the radar among top basketball programs nationwide.
“We made a name for ourselves and hopefully we did a good job of representing our school and letting people know who FGCU is,” said senior Eglah Griffin, who ended her college career one three-pointer shy of posting the highest three-point percentage in the nation.
In the Eagles’ first year of postseason eligibility, FGCU made winning the Atlantic Sun Tournament title look easy, crushing the second-seeded Hatters with a final score of 67-39.
“We’ve gone up quite a few levels since we first started, and we try to get better every day,” said Smesko, the A-Sun Coach of the Year.
By the end of the season, FGCU was ranked No. 3 in the Mid-Major poll and in the Top 30 for the coach’s and Associated Press polls. They went into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 12 seed, paired with No. 5-seeded Bonaventure.
“For the coaches and the press to put us in the top 30 teams in the nation speaks volumes,” Smesko said.
Knowing this was the program’s first year of postseason eligibility, the team set a goal early of winning the conference championship and competing in the Big Dance.
“As soon as we stepped on the court in preseason, we talked about how badly we wanted to go to the NCAA Tournament,” said senior co-captain Kelsey Jacobson. “We set the goal, and we expected to achieve it.”
She and Co-captain Courtney Chihil have played for FGCU since their freshman year and have grown along with the women’s basketball program. The Eagles have won three A-Sun Conference championships in five Division I seasons.
“I think it’s an honor to be called a leader for this team that has had so much success,” Chihil said.
Jacobson made second team all conference, while Smesko called Chihil “an amazing all around player who often gets overlooked.” During the last few moments of regulation play against Bonaventure, Chihil made a much celebrated shot to tie the game and force overtime.
Next season, the Eagles will be without four of their top five scorers -- Chihil, Jacobson, Griffin and Nicoya Jackson -- as the seniors move on with life beyond basketball. Only Jackson aspires to further a basketball career by playing overseas.
“I can’t wait to graduate, but I know I’m going to miss college basketball,” said the Criminal Justice major who posted the second highest scoring average after Hansen.
She called going to the NCAA Tournament “a dream come true,” even with the heartbreaking overtime loss. “Every basketball player prepares to go the NCAA their whole career,” Jackson said.
As a redshirt sophomore, Hansen, led the team in scoring and rebounds and was selected as first team all conference. She has two seasons remaining at FGCU but has played alongside the graduating seniors for the last three years.
Hansen knows next season she will be a key player, not only on the court but also in leading a younger team. Also stepping up will be teammate Whitney Knight, who made the all conference freshman team this season.
For Smesko, Hansen has turned out to be a diamond in the rough. He saw the McKean, Pennsylvania native play half of a high school game and placed a star by her name but didn’t have need for another player until months later.
“I liked her competitive spirit, and I liked her toughness,” Smesko recalled. “I gave her a call right before she was ready to commit to another school. I knew she was a kid who would fit in well with what we do, and I really liked the way she went about things on the floor. She’s even exceeded my expectations of her.”
Hansen attributes her competitive spirit to growing up with four siblings.
“I have the best parents in the world,” she added. “They were always behind me, teaching me I shouldn’t be satisfied if I’m not giving my best effort and telling me I can do anything I want to do if I just work at it.”
Not only has Hansen posted the most impressive numbers on the court, she maintains a 3.95 grade point average.
While Hansen has received much attention, Smesko said the team’s success can’t be attributed to one individual, as different players step up with rebounds, assists, steals and blocks.
The seniors said they have been proud to represent FGCU and appreciate the amazing support the team gets from the Estero community. The game against Michigan State and the final home game against Stetson both drew crowds of more than 3,000.
“You feel good to be an Eagle every day,” said graduating senior Sarah Brolsma Whitfield.
The young women also attribute much of the team’s success to Coach Smesko, saying he doesn’t yell, but he has high expectations and lets players know if they are meeting them.
“He’s got to be one of the most hardworking coaches in the entire country,” said Jacobson, calling Smesko “a basketball genius.” “He knows how to motivate us and get us to do the right thing.”
As the team says goodbye to its graduating seniors, Smesko is proud of their development on and off the court.
“They’re a great group of young ladies; they’re great student athletes,” he said. “We’ve got some kids among the best and brightest -- doctors, nurses and business leaders of the future.”
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