Learning Basketball

Ryan Kaminski @BeyondTheRK
  • 5.0 (6)
  • Basketball
  • Semiweekly

Learn about NBA & WNBA Basketball and NBA Draft prospects from experts, scouts, analysts, writers, reporters, coaches, players, front office execs, and fans! The goal of Learning Basketball with every episode is teaching listeners something new about hoops as Host Ryan Kaminski @BeyondTheRK takes listeners behind the scenes to study teambuilding & coaching strategy, scout draft prospects, cover NBA & WNBA teams, analyze games, ambassador the sport, evaluate player development in the gym, and tell their stories. A podcast from Swish Theory. Follow @BeyondTheRK on YouTube, Twitter, Substack

  1. 2d ago

    The 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 Basketball

    Ep. 162 Learning Basketball with Jane Kenny! @JaneKennyy The 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 Basketball 00:00 Cold open: Gabby Williams’s Meaning to Bay Area 03:24 Intro & Background fresh off Championship Parade 04:30 How Jane got into sports media 07:54 The Sue Bird interview and the USA Basketball writing program 12:53 Valkyries Parade 18:02 The Valkyries' Franchise backstory, from expansion to champions 24:00 Game 7 takeaways 27:38 Game 7 Gabby Williams' historic second half and the stats 32:31 What Gabby means to the Bay Area 38:23 Tiffany Hayes' comeback story  47:02 Kaitlyn Chen and the hot dog suit 49:47 Veronica Burton and Kiah Stokes 56:01 Kayla Thornton and Kaila Charles 60:31 Coach Natalie Nakase’s impact 65:15 6th Player of Year Janelle Salaun 66:19 Jane’s Coverage of Ebuka Okorie at Stanford

  2. Oct 30

    Cameron 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 Presence

    Ep. 161 Learning Basketball with Parker Fleming @PAKA_FLOCKA@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK Cameron 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 Presence Timeline: 00:00 Cold Open 1:40 Introduction & Background 5:30 2027 NBA Draft Prospects to Watch 14:00 Memphis Grizzlies 50:00 Week 1 NBA Rookie Standouts

  3. Oct 27

    Yaxel Lendeborg Rookie Breakout, Kiah Stokes Valkyries Finals MVP Case, JuJu Watkins Update with Conrado Pascual – How Valkyries Flipped WNBA Finals, USC Women's Hoops, Warriors Season Outlook

    Ep. 160 Learning Basketball with Conrado Pascual @CP3_777 @SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK Kiah 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 Outlook Timeline 0:00 Cold open: Kiah Stokes as Finals MVP 2:20 Introduction & Background 3:59 Covering the Valkyries' magical season 6:53 Expansion-team culture Year 1 before adding Gabby Williams and Kiah Stokes  8:33 Kiah Stokes' surprising rise to starting center & elite impact 10:19 The Valkyries' identity: slow pace, ball security and self-awareness 13:38 Golden State’s Game 4 & 5 adjustments to retake series lead 3-2 18:04 Veronica Burton and Stokes fun facts 22:28 How Atlanta Dream adjust back to even series in Game 6 27:34 The most underrated Valkyries? 35:09 Finals MVP pick and Stokes' career recognition 39:53 How Stokes and Gabby Williams transformed the defense 42:28 Game 6 & 7 WNBA Finals Series outlook and predictions 46:25 9:30 a.m. PST Game 6 tip-off debacle 53:27 Juju Watkins is Back – USC Women’s Basketball Update 1:00:12 USC's chemistry with Jazzy Davidson, Saniyah Hall, and Final Four expectations 1:06:22 Golden State Warriors Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s immediate arrival, Nuggets Breakout 1:19:54 Yaxel's personality, quotes and Coach Kennedy story 1:26:26 Rookie of the Year Possibilities & Yaxel's long-term fit as the true Two Timelines prospect 1:33:47 Warriors outlook with Jimmy & Yaxel 1:36:03 The Center Hub college hoops magazine w/ Tyler Tanner and 200 coaches interviewed

  4. Oct 21

    Former Pro Ionna McKenzie on The Angel Reese Game, Angel's WNBA Finals Development, and ASB GlassFloor Revolutionary Courts– Impact of Gabby Williams, Texas Tech & International Pro Experience

    Ep. 159 Learning Basketball with Ionna McKenzie! @Ionna @SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK Timeline:0:00 Angel Reese's 3pt Development1:00 Introduction to Ionna McKenzie and Her Journey in Basketball 4:00 Early Influences from Family 6:30 College Basketball Experience at Texas Tech 10:00 Transitioning to Professional Basketball 13:00 Playing Overseas: Challenges and Growth 16:00 Cultural Experiences and Living Abroad 19:00 Reflections on International Basketball 22:00 Conclusion and Final Thoughts 24:00 Transitioning to a New Mindset in Basketball 25:00 Exploring ASB and Glass Floor Tech 26:00 The Impact of Advanced Training Facilities 28:00 Revolutionizing Basketball Practice with Technology 33:00 Innovative Playbook Solutions for Coaches 37:00 Future Aspirations for ASB Technology 42:00 Celebrating Angel Reese's Impact on the Game45:00 WNBA Finals Game 1 & Game 2 Breakdown – Impact of Gabby Williams & Angel Reese

  5. Oct 16

    Bandwagon 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, Dream Keys

    Ep. 158 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Kevin Danna! @KevinDannaPxP@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK Bandwagon 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 Keys Timeline: 0:00 – Best Crowd Pop in Sports? 1:30 — Introduction and Valkyries-Dream Finals Preview 6:00 — Kevin Danna’s path into play-by-play 8:00 — Ballhalla crowd and fan culture 11:00 — Golden State Valkyries Expansion Success Story 15:00 — Building the Valkyries Expansion Team roster 19:00 — Team Identity: defense, effort, intensity 22:00 — Natalie Nakase’s coaching influence 24:00 — Deterring Paige Bueckers in Round 1 28:00 — Pivotal comeback sparked by Veronica Burton & Gabby Williams’ clutch play 32:00 — Gabby Williams’ defensive, offensive, and overall impact 38:00 — How did the Valkyries Sweep A’ja Wilson’s Aces? 41:00 — Veronica Burton’s all-around value 46:00 — 6th Player of the Year Janelle Salaün and underrated players 50:00 — Dream-Valkyries 2026 WNBA Finals Preview, Biggest Swing Factors, Key Matchups

  6. Oct 10

    Franz 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 Outlook

    Ep. 157 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Josh Cohen! @Josh_Cohen_NBA@SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK Franz 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 Outlook Timeline:00:00 — Franz Wagner’s endurance, late-game impact, and two-way workload 01:45 — Early impressions of Orlando’s preseason opener 02:25 — Sean Sweeney’s impact 14:00 — Rebuilding Orlando’s offensive identity 15:00 — Spain P&R Film Breakdown: One play that best utilizes Franz, Paolo, Bane, and shooters together 27:00 — Tristan da Silva’s role and shooting upside 32:00 — Nikola Vucevic’s fit as a floor-spacing backup big 41:00 — Franz Wagner’s next level: playmaking, scoring, conditioning, and defense 55:00 — The Playtype Orlando could sneakily dominate next year 60:00 — Anthony Black’s development, role, and defensive upside in contract extension year 72:00 — Re-establishing Orlando’s defensive identity: pressure, turnovers, and transition opportunities 75:00 — Jase Richardson’s point guard skills, shooting, and rotation case vs Jevon Carter 85:00 — Noah Penda’s defensive versatility and the importance of his three-point shot in frontcourt battle with da Silva 96:00 — Eastern Conference outlook, contender matchups, and Orlando’s playoff goals 119:00 — Closing thoughts on the Magic’s potential season outlook

  7. Oct 7

    How 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 Bledsoe

    Ep. 156 𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐁𝐚𝐬𝐤𝐞𝐭𝐛𝐚𝐥𝐥 w/ Nile! @NileHoops @SwishTheory @BeyondTheRK How 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 Bledsoe Timeline:00:00 Twin Theory and player synergy 05:27 Team identity, archetypes, and roster fit 11:29 When overlapping skills work and when they don’t 17:22 Building lineups around complementary player types 23:23 The Orlando Magic’s team-building philosophy 32:27 What made Eric Bledsoe such a special talent? 38:00 Fedor Žugić and Santa Clara’s roster outlook 41:57 Draft scouting: recognizing winning player profiles 54:23 Favorite rookie fits and Toronto’s defensive potential

  8. Oct 3

    Appreciating 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 Nets

    Ep. 155 Learning Basketball with Lucas Kaplan @LucasKaplan_ @SwishTheory Appreciating 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 Nets Timestamps:00:00 — What makes Breanna Stewart such a uniquely effective player 02:24 — Introduction and WNBA playoff context 03:31 — How the Liberty’s culture and defense fuel their playoff run 05:07 — Why Stewart’s impact can be overlooked 08:13 — Stewart’s all-around statistical profile and NBA comparisons 11:52 — The value of Stewart’s motor and versatility 15:12 — Jonquel Jones’s two-way impact and evolution as a scorer 20:40 — How the Liberty’s system and rotation are working in the playoffs 23:05 — Creating mismatches for Jonquel Jones 24:51 — Liberty–Dream series preview, including the Angel Reese matchup 27:43 — Sabrina Ionescu's role in protecting the ball against Atlanta 29:50 — Brooklyn Nets media-day speed round 30:25 — Mikel Brown Jr.’s upside and fit with the Nets 33:14 — Egor’s rookie season and development outlook 37:36 — Danny Wolf’s role, scoring growth, and defense 40:53 — Mo Wagner and Julius Randle’s veteran presence 44:30 — The Nets’ developing core and long-term direction 48:58 — Closing thoughts and where to follow Lucas Kaplan

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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Learn about NBA & WNBA Basketball and NBA Draft prospects from experts, scouts, analysts, writers, reporters, coaches, players, front office execs, and fans! The goal of Learning Basketball with every episode is teaching listeners something new about hoops as Host Ryan Kaminski @BeyondTheRK takes listeners behind the scenes to study teambuilding & coaching strategy, scout draft prospects, cover NBA & WNBA teams, analyze games, ambassador the sport, evaluate player development in the gym, and tell their stories. A podcast from Swish Theory. Follow @BeyondTheRK on YouTube, Twitter, Substack

Information

  • Creator
    Ryan Kaminski @BeyondTheRK
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    163
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Ryan Kaminski @BeyondTheRK
  • Show Website
    Learning Basketball

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