Episode 3 - Mick Curley on constantly refreshing

Julie Souza is the Global Head of Sports at Amazon Web Services (AWS) and with the tech titan recently announcing a new partnership with the NBA, it was the perfect time for her to join Emmet Ryan to discuss the way data is changing sports in all kinds of wild and wonderful ways, from team performance through fan engagement and everything in between.

If you suffered a broken neck, you’d probably be happy to walk again. You’d also probably hope that you realised you’d actually broken your neck. Lorcan Murphy isn’t you or me. A longtime Ireland international in basketball, his very future appeared to be in jeopardy from an injury he didn’t even realise he had. On this episode of Barely Hoops, Murphy talks to Emmet Ryan about his journey in basketball, the injury, and going full Kurt Angle. He didn’t come back from a broken freakin’ neck to play for his country again. Murphy then changed sports to decathlon and is dominating there too. It’s a wild story and an inspirational one at that.

Ahead of EuroBasket 2025, it was the great pleasure of Barely Hoops to welcome Jeff Taylor to the show. Jeff is the voice of international basketball and has been doing so since 1997. He spoke with Emmet Ryan about going to UNC at the same time as Michael Jordan and James Worthy, his journey into commentary, and some of his wild stories from covering games around the world.

Mick Curley, best known for his DBG channels on YouTube, is a baller turned 2K legend turned content creator who could have been a teacher pivoted into doing analysis on the NBA, then became a coach, and is now one of the biggest WNBA voices on the internet. It's safe to say, he's got a lot going on. Mick spoke to Emmet Ryan about his journey in basketball, both physical and digital, and overcoming some major real-life struggles as he looks to get back on the court again.

Reco Rawlins spent 13 seasons across 9 countries as a professional basketball player but off the court, he developed a deep love of food. Being from the American South, he decided it was time to bring Soul Food across the Atlantic and opened a restaurant in Stockholm. On this episode of Barely Hoops, Reco discusses his time as a baller, where his love for the game came from, and how he developed his passion for food.

Emmet Ryan hosts the debut episode of BallinEurope’s new podcast, Barely Hoops, joined by guest Lev, aka Lisco 2000, and widely known as Dario Šarić’s biggest fan. Lev talks about their journey into basketball fandom, which began in high school and grew into a major online presence. They discuss their thesis on player empowerment and gender in sports, along with their fascination with the afterlife and myth-making in the NBA. Lev shares stories about trying to meet Dario, including making a friendship bracelet, and their hopes for his NBA future and possible return to Europe. Emmet and Lev also explore how sports fandom is evolving and the challenges athletes face once their playing careers end.