Bucket Podcast

Sky Stickney
  • 4.9 (17)
  • Basketball

Bucket Podcast is a long-form interview podcast about preparation, performance, and identity. Hosted by Sky Stickney. New episodes weekly.

  1. The Build | Britt Prince

    Jun 5

    The Build | Britt Prince

    Some players arrive. Britt Prince chose to build. A homegrown Nebraska kid from Elkhorn North — where she led a brand new program to state championships, broke the Nebraska Class B scoring record, and won back-to-back Gatorade and MaxPreps Player of the Year honors. Then she came home to Lincoln. As a Husker, she's earned First Team All-Big Ten honors, a Nancy Lieberman Award nomination for the nation's best point guard, and posted one of the rarest shooting seasons in college basketball — 50-40-90. She leads Nebraska in scoring, assists, and steals. She got better at everything in year two. Every single category. But this episode isn't just about the numbers. It's about what it means to be a builder. Sky sits down with Britt to talk about the invisible work, the program she helped raise, and the state that shaped her. Then we go somewhere unexpected — because it turns out the philosophy of building shows up in the most unlikely places. Curt Arens, Senior Editor of Nebraska Farmer — Farm Progress, talks about what the land asks of the people who tend it. The patience of planting something you won't harvest for months. The legacy of building something not just for yourself, but for whoever comes after you. And Adam Ward — bestselling author, all around great dude, and one of the most celebrated brick artists on the planet — talks about what it means to build something remarkable and let it go. Three different worlds. One through line. Brick x brick. Brick x Britt.  Follow Bucket Podcast @Bucketpodcast Follow Britt @britt.prince23 Follow Adam @peaceandbricks

    57 min

  2. May 30 ·  Bonus

    Why We Watch (Part 2)

    We said if. Game 7 said yes. This bonus episode is part two of two... an inside look at the conversations happening inside a friend group right now — the texts, the takes, the things basketball keeps making them consider.  Definitely one for the hoop nerds.  Sky talks with Ryan Arel and Cy Benedict — friends who've been thinking about the 2026 NBA Western Conference Finals a little too hard. The basketball is in there. So is everything else. Cy's article: https://cybdellenback.substack.com/p/the-nbas-western-conference-finals

    42 min

  3. May 28 ·  Bonus

    Why We Watch (Part 1)

    Some of the best conversations happen between brothers who've been talking hoops and life since they were kids.  This is one of those. Sky sits down with his 'brother' Cy Benedict — philosopher, writer, and author of the Substack The Real — and you're a fly on the wall. They get into Cy's recent piece about the Spurs and Thunder, why Wembanyama feels like a breath of fresh air in a league full of optimized everything, and what basketball keeps trying to tell us about the world we're living in. Unexpected audio issues hit, but it felt wrong not to release it anyway — Game 6 of the NBA Western Conference Finals is tonight, and this conversation deserved to exist while the series is still alive. The game has always been a mirror.  Cy's article can be found at https://cybdellenback.substack.com/p/the-nbas-western-conference-finals?utm_source=ig&utm_medium=social&utm_content=link_in_bio&utm_id=97760_v0_s00_e0_tv3

    10 min

  4. Apr 29 ·  Bonus

    The Moment

    We used to experience things together. The same moment, the same breath, the same not-knowing. Somewhere along the way, we lost that. This episode is about what we've traded away in the age of streaming, highlight reels, and on-demand everything — and why sports might be the last place where time still belongs to all of us at once.

    11 min
  5. The Staying | Keira Hanson

    Apr 24

    The Staying | Keira Hanson

    In an era defined by movement — by the next opportunity, the better offer, the open portal — Keira Hanson did something quietly radical. She stayed. A four-year standout at the University of Vermont, Keira leaves Burlington as one of the most decorated players in program history — a thousand point scorer, a three-time conference champion, an American East All-Conference First Team selection, and a multiple-time NCAA Tournament participant. She arrived from Issaquah High School, where she remains the all-time leading assist leader. And if you know what to look for, that detail tells you everything. This episode is a conversation about what it means to choose a place. To build something slowly. To measure a career not just in points, but in people — in the teammates you elevated, the program you helped shape, the little sister who followed you across the country and now carries what you built. Joining the conversation is Ben Aguilar, Director of Operations at the Berry Center in Newcastle, Kentucky — the organization dedicated to putting the writings of farmer, poet, and essayist Wendell Berry to work in the world. Ben brings Berry's language of place, loyalty, and belonging into unexpected conversation with the modern landscape of college athletics. Together, they help us understand what's quietly being lost every time someone leaves — and what becomes possible for the ones who stay long enough to find out. The third episode of the collegiate mini series.

    58 min

  6. Apr 10 ·  Bonus

    The Soil

    Before the next episode drops — a pause.  The transfer portal has thrown this mini-series for a loop, and rather than just explain the delay, this felt like the right moment to say something about it. The transfer portal has changed basketball. But this episode isn't really about basketball. It's about what gets lost when the exit is always available — and what gets found when you choose to stay. A personal reflection on identity, heartbreak, and the kind of development that only happens when you remain loyal to the soil.

    7 min
  7. The Rhythm | Kaety L'Amoreaux

    Mar 28

    The Rhythm | Kaety L'Amoreaux

    EPISODE TWO OF THE COLLEGE MARCH MINI SERIES In this episode of The Bucket Podcast, Sky sits down with Fairfield University standout Kaety L’Amoreaux, 2026 MAAC Player of the Year, to explore the moments that shape a player beyond the stat line. From a small-town upbringing in upstate New York to becoming one of the top players in the country, Kaety reflects on the path that led her to the Division I level—navigating recruiting, adversity, and the transition into a leadership role on a team with championship expectations. The conversation moves through the realities of growth: learning how to respond to failure, finding confidence under pressure, and understanding what it takes to compete at the highest level while staying grounded in who you are off the court. At its core, this episode is about something harder to define—the space where preparation meets instinct… where the game slows down… and everything starts to connect. A conversation on flow, identity, and learning how to trust what you’ve built—when it matters most.

    44 min
  8. The Waiting | Jo Lee

    Mar 20 ·  Bonus

    The Waiting | Jo Lee

    EPISODE ONE OF THE COLLEGE MARCH MINI SERIES  Host Sky Stickney sits down with former Washington 4A Player of the Year Jo Lee from Glacier Peak High School, now a freshman at Le Moyne College. After a high school career defined by production, recognition, and deep postseason runs, Jo has arrived at the level so many chase — only to find himself in a new role. What follows isn’t frustration... In a season of waiting, Jo reflects on identity, faith, and what it means to stay grounded when the game stops giving back.  As the conversation unfolds, a different kind of strength begins to take shape — one not tied to minutes, points, or recognition. This episode explores the space between who you were and who you’re becoming… and what holds you steady in between.

    19 min
See All (16)

Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
17 Ratings

About

Bucket Podcast is a long-form interview podcast about preparation, performance, and identity. Hosted by Sky Stickney. New episodes weekly.

Information

  • Creator
    Sky Stickney
  • Years Active
    2K
  • Episodes
    16
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Sky Stickney
  • Show Website
    Bucket Podcast

You Might Also Like