Learning Basketball

Ep. 162 Learning Basketball with Jane Kenny! @JaneKennyyThe Legend of Game 7 Gabby Williams & 2026 Golden State Valkyries Winning WNBA Championship with Jane Kenny – Stories on WNBA Title Team Players, Coaches, Front Office, Sue Bird and USA Basketball00:00 Cold open: Gabby Williams’s Meaning to Bay Area03:24 Intro & Background fresh off Championship Parade04:30 How Jane got into sports media07:54 The Sue Bird interview and the USA Basketball writing program12:53 Valkyries Parade18:02 The Valkyries' Franchise backstory, from expansion to champions24:00 Game 7 takeaways27:38 Game 7 Gabby Williams' historic second half and the stats32:31 What Gabby means to the Bay Area38:23 Tiffany Hayes' comeback story 47:02 Kaitlyn Chen and the hot dog suit49:47 Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes56:01 Kayla Thornton and Kaila Charles60:31 Coach Natalie Nakase’s impact65:15 6th Player of Year Janelle Salaun66:19 Jane’s Coverage of Ebuka Okorie at Stanford

Ep. 161 Learning Basketball with Parker Fleming @PAKA_FLOCKA@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKCameron Boozer's Smashmouth Memphis Grizzlies, 2027 NBA Draft & Week 1 Rookie Standouts with Parker Fleming – Ty Jerome All-Star? Coach Iisalo's Library, Zach Edey's Paint PresenceTimeline:00:00 Cold Open1:40 Introduction & Background 5:30 2027 NBA Draft Prospects to Watch14:00 Memphis Grizzlies 50:00 Week 1 NBA Rookie Standouts

Ep. 160 Learning Basketball with Conrado Pascual @CP3_777@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKKiah Stokes Valkyries Finals MVP Case, Yaxel Lendeborg Rookie Breakout, JuJu Watkins Update with Conrado Pascual – How Valkyries Flipped WNBA Finals, USC Women's Hoops, Warriors Season OutlookTimeline0:00 Cold open: Kiah Stokes as Finals MVP2:20 Introduction & Background3:59 Covering the Valkyries' magical season6:53 Expansion-team culture Year 1 before adding Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes 8:33 Kiah Stokes' surprising rise to starting center & elite impact10:19 The Valkyries' identity: slow pace, ball security and self-awareness13:38 Golden State’s Game 4 & 5 adjustments to retake series lead 3-218:04 Veronica Burton and Stokes fun facts22:28 How Atlanta Dream adjust back to even series in Game 627:34 The most underrated Valkyries?35:09 Finals MVP pick and Stokes' career recognition39:53 How Stokes and Gabby Williams transformed the defense42:28 Game 6 & 7 WNBA Finals Series outlook and predictions46:25 9:30 a.m. PST Game 6 tip-off debacle53:27 Juju Watkins is Back – USC Women’s Basketball Update1:00:12 USC's chemistry with Jazzy Davidson, Saniyah Hall, and Final Four expectations1:06:22 Golden State Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s immediate arrival, Nuggets Breakout1:19:54 Yaxel's personality, quotes and Coach Kennedy story1:26:26 Rookie of the Year Possibilities & Yaxel's long-term fit as the true Two Timelines prospect1:33:47 Warriors outlook with Jimmy & Yaxel1:36:03 The Center Hub college hoops magazine w/ Tyler Tanner and 200 coaches interviewed

Ep. 159 Learning Basketball with Ionna McKenzie! @Ionna@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKTimeline:0:00 Angel Reese's 3pt Development1:00 Introduction to Ionna McKenzie and Her Journey in Basketball4:00 Early Influences from Family6:30 College Basketball Experience at Texas Tech10:00 Transitioning to Professional Basketball13:00 Playing Overseas: Challenges and Growth16:00 Cultural Experiences and Living Abroad19:00 Reflections on International Basketball22:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts24:00 Transitioning to a New Mindset in Basketball25:00 Exploring ASB and Glass Floor Tech26:00 The Impact of Advanced Training Facilities28:00 Revolutionizing Basketball Practice with Technology33:00 Innovative Playbook Solutions for Coaches37:00 Future Aspirations for ASB Technology42:00 Celebrating Angel Reese's Impact on the Game45:00 WNBA Finals Game 1 & Game 2 Breakdown – Impact of Gabby Williams & Angel Reese

Ep. 158 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Kevin Danna! @KevinDannaPxP@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKBandwagon to Ballhalla: Valkyries' Gabby Williams, Veronica Burton, Natalie Nakase Path to 2026 WNBA Finals with Kevin Danna – Best Crowd Pop in Sports? Golden State’s Expansion Success, Deterring Bueckers, Defeating A’ja, Dream KeysTimeline:0:00 – Best Crowd Pop in Sports?1:30 — Introduction and Valkyries-Dream Finals Preview6:00 — Kevin Danna’s path into play-by-play8:00 — Ballhalla crowd and fan culture11:00 — Golden State Valkyries Expansion Success Story15:00 — Building the Valkyries Expansion Team roster19:00 — Team Identity: defense, effort, intensity22:00 — Natalie Nakase’s coaching influence24:00 — Deterring Paige Bueckers in Round 128:00 — Pivotal comeback sparked by Veronica Burton & Gabby Williams’ clutch play32:00 — Gabby Williams’ defensive, offensive, and overall impact38:00 — How did the Valkyries Sweep A’ja Wilson’s Aces?41:00 — Veronica Burton’s all-around value46:00 — 6th Player of the Year Janelle Salaün and underrated players50:00 — Dream-Valkyries 2026 WNBA Finals Preview, Biggest Swing Factors, Key Matchups

Ep. 157 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Josh Cohen! @Josh_Cohen_NBA@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKFranz Wagner’s Impact, Sean Sweeney’s Organization, Blueprints to Orlando Magic Contender with Josh Cohen – Anthony Black's Contract Extension Year, Breakout Magic Role Players, 2026-27 Season OutlookTimeline:00:00 — Franz Wagner’s endurance, late-game impact, and two-way workload01:45 — Early impressions of Orlando’s preseason opener02:25 — Sean Sweeney’s impact14:00 — Rebuilding Orlando’s offensive identity15:00 — Spain P&R Film Breakdown: One play that best utilizes Franz, Paolo, Bane, and shooters together27:00 — Tristan da Silva’s role and shooting upside32:00 — Nikola Vucevic’s fit as a floor-spacing backup big41:00 — Franz Wagner’s next level: playmaking, scoring, conditioning, and defense55:00 — The Playtype Orlando could sneakily dominate next year60:00 — Anthony Black’s development, role, and defensive upside in contract extension year72:00 — Re-establishing Orlando’s defensive identity: pressure, turnovers, and transition opportunities75:00 — Jase Richardson’s point guard skills, shooting, and rotation case vs Jevon Carter85:00 — Noah Penda’s defensive versatility and the importance of his three-point shot in frontcourt battle with da Silva96:00 — Eastern Conference outlook, contender matchups, and Orlando’s playoff goals119:00 — Closing thoughts on the Magic’s potential season outlook

Ep. 156 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Nile! @NileHoops @SwishTheory @BeyondTheRKHow Many "LeBrons" Should One Team Have? Twin Theory of NBA Roster Building + NBA Draft Scouting Tips with Nile Hoops – How to Evaluate Prospects, How Teams Build Lineups, Orlando Magic, Eric BledsoeTimeline:00:00 Twin Theory and player synergy05:27 Team identity, archetypes, and roster fit11:29 When overlapping skills work and when they don’t17:22 Building lineups around complementary player types23:23 The Orlando Magic’s team-building philosophy32:27 What made Eric Bledsoe such a special talent?38:00 Fedor Žugić and Santa Clara’s roster outlook41:57 Draft scouting: recognizing winning player profiles54:23 Favorite rookie fits and Toronto’s defensive potential

Ep. 155 Learning Basketball with Lucas Kaplan @LucasKaplan_@SwishTheoryAppreciating Breanna Stewart's Greatness, How 8-Seed Liberty Upset 1-seed Lynx, Nets Media Day with Lucas Kaplan – Keys to NYL/ATL Series, Mikel Brown Jr. Upside, Mo Wagner Energy, Julius Randle NetsTimestamps:00:00 — What makes Breanna Stewart such a uniquely effective player02:24 — Introduction and WNBA playoff context03:31 — How the Liberty’s culture and defense fuel their playoff run05:07 — Why Stewart’s impact can be overlooked08:13 — Stewart’s all-around statistical profile and NBA comparisons11:52 — The value of Stewart’s motor and versatility15:12 — Jonquel Jones’s two-way impact and evolution as a scorer20:40 — How the Liberty’s system and rotation are working in the playoffs23:05 — Creating mismatches for Jonquel Jones24:51 — Liberty–Dream series preview, including the Angel Reese matchup27:43 — Sabrina Ionescu's role in protecting the ball against Atlanta29:50 — Brooklyn Nets media-day speed round30:25 — Mikel Brown Jr.’s upside and fit with the Nets33:14 — Egor’s rookie season and development outlook37:36 — Danny Wolf’s role, scoring growth, and defense40:53 — Mo Wagner and Julius Randle’s veteran presence44:30 — The Nets’ developing core and long-term direction48:58 — Closing thoughts and where to follow Lucas Kaplan

Ep. 154 Learning Basketball with Tony East @TonyREast @SwishTheoryHow Caitlin Clark, Kelsey Mitchell, Aliyah Boston Spark Explosive Indiana Fever + Pacers Reloading as Haliburton Healthy with Tony East – Awards, Playoffs, Expectations, Zubac's fit, Pacers RookiesTimestamps:00:00 What makes Caitlin Clark and Kelsey Mitchell such a lethal tandem?03:16 Introduction and guest welcome03:47 Indiana Fever playoff outlook and seeding08:05 Why Clark and Mitchell are such a difficult offensive pairing11:23 Aliyah Boston’s two-way impact and award case19:17 Caitlin Clark’s development and the impact of FIBA play22:05 Fever playoff variables, role players, and the wider WNBA field25:22 Indiana Pacers expectations with Tyrese Haliburton returning29:13 Roster fit, depth, and the Zubac addition32:30 Pacers rookies and developmental prospects36:26 Why Indiana’s style is more than just finding another Haliburton-type guard40:10 Under-the-radar Pacers and Fever players to watch42:51 Closing thoughts on Indiana basketball

Ep. 153 Learning Basketball with Es Baraheni @JustEsBaraheni @SwishTheoryKawhi Trade Official, Raptors Dynamic Defense with Es Baraheni – Kawhi’s Fit in Toronto, Darko’s Rajakovic’s Belief in Scottie Barnes’ Star Trajectory, Collin Murray-Boyles & Allen Graves Bench DepthTimeline:00:00 — Raptors’ defensive identity and Kawhi’s fit02:16 — Show introduction and guest welcome02:47 — Kawhi’s return to Toronto and the fan reaction12:14 — Trade details, roster construction, and Kawhi’s on-court fit25:04 — Scottie Barnes’ development and Darko Rajaković’s belief in him32:32 — Allen Graves’ role, shooting, and defensive upside38:56 — Guard rotation: Immanuel Quickley and Jamal Shead42:52 — Remaining roster needs: center, creation, and the Sabonis discussion48:24 — League-wide trends in size, skill, rebounding, and how teams counter Wembanyama62:56 — Closing thoughts