MACON Ga. – To complement the team's fifth-straight Atlantic Sun Regular Season Championship, the FGCU women's basketball team earned two of the league's five major awards, as announced by the conference Wednesday afternoon. Redshirt-junior
Whitney Knight was named Player of the Year, while head coach
Karl Smesko earned his sixth Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award. In addition to the major awards, Knight and
Kaneisha Atwater were named to the All-Conference First Team, with
Taylor Gradinjan picking up All-Freshman Team honors.
Knight (Winston-Salem, N.C./R.J. Reynolds High School), the A-Sun Preseason Player of the Year, led the Eagles and the A-Sun with 15.1 points per game this season and started each of the team's 29 games. Knight also led the squad with 6.3 rebounds per game and shot 45 percent from the field with a 44.8 percent clip from beyond-the-arc. The First-Team recognition stands as Knight's second as the redshirt-junior was named First Team a season ago after returning from injury with over 12 points per game as a sophomore.
"Whitney has had a tremendous year," said Smesko of Knight's award. "She has worked hard to improve her game every year. It is rare to find a player of her size with her skill set and versatility."
With 81 makes from the perimeter, Knight paced the league in 3-point shooting and currently ranks seventh in the nation in 3-point percentage. She also tops the league with 74 blocks on the season and stands as the only player in the nation to lead a conference in both categories. Her block total ranks in the top-30 of players nationally, proving the 6'3 guard's versatility on the court.
Knight finished the season ranked second in the league with 57 steals and also dished out 51 assists to rank in the top-20. She sits in the top-10 in field-goal percentage, rebounds and free-throw percentage.
Knight scored double figures in all but four games this season with 15 or more points on 17 occasions. She recorded a career-high 28 points in a win over Clemson in the US Virgin Islands in November and pulled down a season-best 11 rebounds twice. Knight tallied five double-doubles on the year and was named A-Sun Player of the Week for her performances four times.
Atwater (Fort Pierce, Fla./Fort Pierce-Westwood High School/VCU) joins Knight on the First Team and earns her first all-conference accolade of her career.
"Kaneisha has really become more aggressive on the offensive end of the floor this year," said Smesko. "She is a high-energy player who excels at both ends of the floor."
In her second year with the Eagles, Atwater averaged 14.2 points per game with starts in 27 of the team's 29 contests. In addition to her offensive contributions, Atwater has been a staple on the defensive end and recorded 52 steals on the season.
Atwater shot over 45 percent from the field and scored 10 points or more on 18 occasions this season with five 20-point performances during the regular season. Atwater's stellar year has also included two 30-point games, with 33 points in a win over Providence when the 5-7 guard set FGCU's Division I single-game scoring record. She followed with 32 points against Kennesaw State and 29 points in the season finale against Jacksonville to hold two of the league's top-three scoring performances of the year. Atwater finished the regular season with 10 or more points in seven of the last eight games and played 30 or more minutes in four of the last five.
In her first full season on the court after being sidelined with two ACL tears, Gradinjan (Cudahy, Wisc./Cudahy High School) averaged 5.9 points per game in just 15.4 minutes an outing. Gradinjan ranked fourth in the league with a 40.2 percent clip from 3-point range and shot 45.4 percent overall.
"I am really proud of the perseverance Taylor has shown in returning from serious injuries," noted Smesko of Gradinjan's debut season. "She has the ability to be a really special player the next three years."
Gradinjan started 16 of the team's games and made 37 shots from long distance with at least one 3-pointer in 18 games. She scored 10 or more points on six occasions with a career-high 23 points against Southern Miss. and finished with 26 assists on the season.
In his 13th year at the helm of the Eagles, Smesko guided the team to a record of 27-2 with a Division I best win streak of 22 games and its third perfect A-Sun slate in four season. The Eagles finished the regular season with a 14-0 conference record and a 13-0 mark at home. As of week 17, the Eagles hold the No. 20/21 position in the national polls and hold an official RPI of 16.
Smesko has compiled a record of 341-66 at FGCU for a remarkable win percentage of 83.7. He stands as one of only four active Division I coaches with win percentages above .800, joining UConn's Geno Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the elite group. Smesko earned his 400th career victory this season and holds a career mark of 402-93 with an overall win percentage of 81.2. He has led the Green and Blue to five-straight A-Sun Regular Season Championships with six titles in the last seven seasons. Smesko's teams have also won the A-Sun Championship twice in the last three seasons with two NCAA Tournament appearances in three years of postseason eligibility.
The Ohio native has coached 20 All-Conference award winners at the Division I level with eight first-team members, including Atwater and Knight.
Smesko and the team will begin Atlantic Sun Championship action on Friday, March 6 as the top-seeded Eagles host no. 8 North Florida in the quarterfinals at Alico Arena. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. and can be viewed live and free of charge on ESPN3. Following Friday's matchup, the semifinal and final rounds will be played at the top remaining seed, meaning FGCU will play all conference tournament games in front of the home crowd.
As the No. 1 seed in the 2015 Atlantic Sun Conference Championship, the Eagles will host each game of the tournament. Tickets for all A-Sun tournament games are on sale online at FGCUAthletics.com, over the phone at 239-590-7145 or in person at the Alico Arena Box Office. For up-to-the minute information on the FGCU women's basketball team, stay tuned to FGCUAthletics.com and follow the official Twitter of FGCU women's basketball at @FGCU_WBB. Head coach Karl Smesko earned his fourth-consecutive Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year award after a successful 2013-14 campaign. Under his direction, the team completed the season with a record of 26-8, including a 17-1 mark in conference action and won the program's 300th win last January. Smesko guided the Eagles to their fifth-consecutive regular season championship with a record of 12-0 in A-Sun action this season and earned his 400th career victory on Feb. 21. With 25 wins already in the 2014-15 season, Smesko has guided the Eagles to 11-straight 20+ win seasons. He maintains a record of 341-66 at FGCU for a win percentage of 83.6 with a mark of 131-13 (90.7 W%) in Atlantic Sun contests and has led the team to a 65-1 record in conference play in the last four seasons. The five-time Atlantic Sun Coach of the Year ranks among an elite list of just four active Division I coaches with a career win percentage of .800 or higher. Smesko joins Connecticut's Geno Auriemma, Baylor's Kim Mulkey and Stanford's Tara VanDerveer in the esteemed group. SUPPORT THE CAUSE FGCU Athletics sponsors events throughout the year to benefit the FGCU Campus Food Pantry (www.fgcu.edu/foodpantry) and the Harry Chapin Food Bank (www.harrychapinfoodbank.org), FGCU Athletics' charities of choice. For more information, including how to make a contribution, please visitwww.fgcu.edu/foodpantry and utilize the hashtag FeedFGCU to help raise awareness. FULL ATLANTIC SUN HONORS Player of the Year: Whitney Knight, FGCUDefensive Player of the Year: Amber Porter, Stetson
Freshman of the Year: Kayla Gordon, Jacksonville
Newcomer of the Year: Jasmine McAllister, Kennesaw State
Coach of the Year: Karl Smesko, FGCU First Team All-Atlantic Sun Second Team All-Atlantic Sun| F | Jasmine McAllister | Kennesaw State |
| G | Danay Fothergill | Lipscomb |
| F | Melody Doss | Northern Kentucky |
| G | Christine Roush | Northern Kentucky |
| F | Brittany Starling | USC Upstate |
Atlantic Sun All-Freshman Team| *F | Kayla Gordon | Jacksonville |
| *G | Emily Eubank | Lipscomb |
| G | Taylor Gradinjan | FGCU |
| G | Brandi Buie | Jacksonville |
| F | Sarah Sagerer | Stetson |
*unanimous selections
