Know all details about Chelsea Lyles along with her bio and salary, who resigned from her position as the head coach of FGCU women’s basketball team
Chelsea Lyles is stepping down as Florida Gulf Coast’s head coach just two days after the Eagles’ season ended with a first-round NCAA tournament loss to Oklahoma. A former FGCU player, Lyles began her coaching career as an assistant at her alma mater in 2011 before being promoted to associate head coach under Karl Smesko in 2019. She took over as head coach early this season after Smesko departed two games in to lead the WNBA’s Atlanta Dream and was only the second ever women’s basketball team head coach at FGCU.
Who is ex-FGCU women’s basketball coach Chelsea Lyles, bio, age, height, parents, high school, college, salary, coaching record and stats
Lyles whose height stands at 6 feet, from Colorado Springs was a two-sport athlete at Western Nebraska Community College from 2006-08. She was a member of the 2007 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Division I national championship volleyball squad and was named First Team All-Region IX in basketball and volleyball while pacing the Cougars in scoring and rebounding in her second season and also led the volleyball team to a national runner-up finish in her freshman campaign.
A three-sport athlete in volleyball, basketball and track at Harrison High School, Lyles was a high jump state champion, a Second Team All-Colorado volleyball player and the 2006 Colorado Springs Player of the Year in basketball and is a 2010 graduate of FGCU where she received a bachelor’s degree in communication.
Born January 30, 1988, she is the daughter of Charlie and Billye Lyles and has two sisters, Sara and Cheryl. She earned a degree in communications from Florida Gulf Coast.
While contract details were still being finalized, Lyles had previously earned $110,000 as associate head coach. In her first address, she expressed deep gratitude to Smesko for his mentorship throughout her 16-year journey from player to coach and thanked FGCU Athletic Director Colin Hargis and University President Aysegul Timur for their trust and support. Confident and determined, she declared herself ready for the challenge ahead.
Lyles’ connection to FGCU was built on loyalty and dedication. She began her coaching career as a student assistant in 2010-11 before officially joining the staff the following year. By 2014, she became recruiting coordinator and was later promoted to associate head coach in 2019. Hargis revealed that she had been the first and only candidate on his list, praising her leadership, character, and impact on the program.
Anticipating Smesko’s eventual departure, Hargis had long considered Lyles the ideal successor. Her contributions extended beyond coaching—she had earned First Team All-ASUN honors in both of her seasons as a player, averaging 13 points and 5.5 rebounds as a junior and 14 points and 5.4 rebounds as a senior. Now, as head coach, she would lead a staff of fellow former Eagles, including Sheahen Dowling, Lisa Zderadicka, and Keri Jewett-Giles.
Why might Chelsea Lyles step away from her dream job as @FGCU_WBB Head Coach?
I’d keep an eye on a possible reunion with Karl Smesko in the WNBA.
Smesko declined to comment when I reached out to him today. @GCNNow pic.twitter.com/IYENzsGjWb
— Jaron May (@jaron_may) March 24, 2025
Speaking to her team, Lyles reassured the players that their goals and expectations remained unchanged. She emphasized unity and excellence, vowing to work even harder to make the season special. With the Eagles starting 0-2, her immediate focus was on their home opener against NJIT, ensuring the team was prepared and motivated. Though she acknowledged that the weight of her new role might take time to settle in, her priority was clear: the players.
Lyles began her coaching career as a student assistant in 2010-11 and after a one-year stint in that role, she officially joined the staff as an assistant coach in 2011, serving until being named the recruiting coordinator in the summer of 2014. She was promoted to associate head coach under Smesko in 2019 and Lyles entered the 2023-24 season in her sixth year as an associate head coach with a 148-20 record.
Before her coaching career, Lyles spent two years (2008-10) as a player under the direction of Smesko and during that time, the Eagles won an Atlantic Sun Conference regular season championship and earned back-to-back WNIT automatic bids as the team wasn’t eligible for the NCAA Tournament until 2011-12.
Lyles was a two-time First Team All-ASUN selection and led the team to a 50-12 record overall and a 34-6 mark in ASUN play and as a senior, she produced double-digit scoring 21 times.
Thank you, Coach Lyles! Chelsea Lyles announces she's stepping down as head coach. Read the full story here: https://t.co/QDk7HS0LQd pic.twitter.com/dEQrUMUyHg
— FGCU Women's Basketball (@FGCU_WBB) March 24, 2025
Prior to the coaching change, Lyles was in her sixth season as FGCU’s associate head coach after spending the previous five years as the recruiting coordinator and overall, the 2024-25 season marked her 17th year in Fort Myers as the Colorado native competed for the program from 2008-10 before beginning her coaching career as a student assistant in 2010-11.