Reception held at FineMark National Bank welcomes FGCU coach Joe Dooley - celebrates FGCU athletics

BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. - April 29, 2013 - PRLog -- A reception was held at FineMark National Bank Thursday, April 25 at its Coconut Point facility in Bonita Springs to welcome new Florida Gulf Coast University head men’s basketball coach Joe Dooley and to recognize the accomplishments of founding head women’s basketball coach Karl Smesko.

The fundraiser event was jointly sponsored by Ted Todd Insurance Agency and FineMark National Bank to bring the community together to celebrate both FGCU basketball programs’ success, as well as the continued overall accomplishments of the entire Eagles’ athletics programs. The event was organized by Bill Hollister, an enthusiastic season ticket holder and closing ceremony speaker. Among the other attendees were four FGCU Eagles student-athletes Sherwood Brown, Chase Fieler, Brett Comer, and Jamail Jones. FGCU assistant coaches Marty Richter and Michael Fly and director of operations Joey Cantens were also in attendance from the men’s basketball staff.

Guest speakers included coaches Dooley and Smesko, as well as FGCU’s director of athletics, Ken Kavanagh. “The FineMark Bank employees were very welcoming and helpful, as guests mingled in the beautiful two-story facility, enjoying specially prepared hors d’oeuvres prepared by the bank’s executive chef, Lisa Fidler,” said Eagles Club coordinator Graham Diemer. Guests enjoyed Ms. Fidler’s signature pesto and sun-dried tomato terrine, along with BLT & avocado sliders, blue cheese mousse, crostini bar, chicken n' waffles with bourbon maple syrup in pipettes, marzipan cannoli, “Dunk City” mousse cups, and FGCU cupcakes. To recapture some of the excitement of the basketball season, large screen monitors played highlights of the recent NCAA Sweet 16 run that put “Dunk City” on the map.  

A big hit for the evening were souvenir T-shirts and white hats for autographs. Donors and sponsors were generous as they donated to the FGCU athletics program and bid on a live auction of an elegant evening of fine dining in their home, prepared by executive chef Fidler for ten guests to include new FGCU head coach Joe Dooley and director of athletics Ken Kavanagh and their wives.