Pacific Rims is a weekly basketball podcast from the United We Cast Network that delivers smart, authoritative coverage of professional hoops across the Pacific Rim and the growing influence of the region on the global game. Hosted by long-time NBA analyst and Yao Ming biographer Ric Bucher alongside former overseas professional player and Asia-based NBA executive Greg Stolt, Pacific Rims connects the dots between Asia-Pacific leagues and the highest levels of basketball in the United States.
Each episode breaks down the need-to-know stories shaping professional basketball in Australia (NBL), China (CBA), Korea (KBL), and Japan (B.League)—from league trends and front-office decisions to coaching philosophies, player development pipelines, and the business of basketball in the region. The show also spotlights players from the Pacific Rim making an impact in the NBA and U.S. college basketball, examining how international prospects transition to the American game and how NBA teams evaluate and invest in Asia-Pacific talent.
Blending insider reporting, executive perspective, and global basketball context, Pacific Rims is essential listening for fans, scouts, coaches, executives, and anyone interested in international basketball, Asian leagues, NBA global strategy, and the future of the game across the Pacific Rim.
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
From Jeremy Lin to Japan’s Biggest Turnaround: Ryan Marchand’s Unlikely Road Toward the NBA
Fukushima Firebonds head coach Ryan Marchand joins Ric Bucher and Greg Stolt to explain how leaving the U.S. accelerated his coaching career — taking him from the G League and NBA to head-coaching jobs in Vietnam, Taiwan and Japan.
Marchand details how COVID changed his career path, what he learned coaching Jeremy Lin and winning back-to-back championships in Taiwan, and how he rebuilt a last-place Fukushima team into a finalist.
He also breaks down the challenges of coaching across cultures, why head coaching overseas provides experience assistants rarely get in the NBA, and his ultimate goals: becoming an NBA and Team USA head coach.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome and Ryan Marchand’s journey
03:05 – Leaving the U.S. coaching path for Asia
06:01 – Expansion teams, mentors and adapting overseas
09:32 – Taiwan vs. Japan: marketing Asian basketball
12:02 – Why head coaching is about far more than basketball
15:04 – Vietnam, COVID and becoming a better teacher
17:00 – Coaching Jeremy Lin and winning in Taiwan
19:20 – Taking over last-place Fukushima
22:17 – Japan’s grueling back-to-back schedule
25:14 – Why Marchand chose a rebuilding challenge
27:01 – Sustaining success and building culture
30:07 – Life in Taiwan and Japan
32:27 – Marchand’s NBA and Team USA ambitions
35:28 – The realities of pursuing an NBA coaching job
36:27 – Closing
#PacificRims #RyanMarchand #JeremyLin #FukushimaFirebonds #BLeague #JapanBasketball #AsianBasketball #NBA
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
22 Sept 2026
Why Ryan Richman Left the NBA to Coach in Japan—and His Plan to Return
Former Washington Wizards assistant Ryan Richman joins Ric Bucher and Greg Stolt to explain why he left the NBA to coach in Japan and how his experience with Alvark Tokyo and Japan's national team is shaping his pursuit of an NBA head-coaching job. Richman discusses Rui Hachimura's evolution, Japan's basketball boom, the B.League's changing rules, and the differences between NBA and FIBA basketball. Plus, why team chemistry and coaching creativity matter more than ever in an analytics-driven game.
00:00 – Introducing Ryan Richman
02:09 – Why Richman Left the NBA for Japan
04:04 – NBA vs. FIBA Basketball
07:01 – Japan's Basketball Boom
09:40 – Rui Hachimura's Evolution
10:28 – Coaching Japan's National Team
14:17 – B.League Rule Changes and Import Players
15:49 – Transforming the Seahorses Mikawa
18:23 – Life in Japan
19:49 – Richman's Coaching Philosophy
21:14 – Advice for American Coaches
23:25 – The Global Future of Basketball
24:34 – NBA Stars Training in Tokyo
26:37 – Analytics vs. the Human Element
28:02 – Jalen Brunson and the Midrange Game
30:04 – Final Thoughts and Closing
#PacificRims #NBA #RyanRichman #JapanBasketball #BLeague #RuiHachimura #FIBA
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
15 Sept 2026
EXCLUSIVE: AUBL Expands to 18 Teams — Jay Li’s Plan to Build Asia’s Answer to March Madness
Asian college basketball is about to get much bigger — and Pacific Rims has the news first.
AUBL co-founder and CEO Jay Li joins Ric Bucher and Greg Stolt and reveals that the Asian University Basketball League is expanding to 18 teams for its first full home-and-away season beginning in November — with an ambitious plan to reach 30 teams next season and ultimately create an NCAA-style college basketball ecosystem across Asia.
Li, the former chief of staff to Yao Ming during his tenure running the Chinese Basketball Association, explains how lessons learned from the NBA and CBA are being applied to a league whose social-media engagement has exploded by as much as 10X, while revenue has doubled and live viewership has surged.
The conversation also explores why college basketball historically struggled to become part of Asia’s professional pipeline, how Yao helped change that equation in China, and why attitudes toward combining education and elite basketball have shifted.
Then there’s the Cinderella story that showed exactly what the AUBL could become: Shanghai Jiao Tong University stunning traditional powers, beating teams it had never defeated before and producing a championship run Li compares in excitement to Linsanity.
Can the AUBL create the school loyalty, packed arenas, rivalries and postseason drama that have made American college basketball a phenomenon? Li lays out a vision featuring multiple conferences, regional tournaments, a championship week and a legitimate pathway for Asian prospects from high school to college, the NCAA and professional basketball around the world.
TIMESTAMPS
00:00 – Welcome to Pacific Rims
00:51 – Jay Li joins Ric Bucher and Greg Stolt
01:43 – How the AUBL grew from an experiment into a league
02:13 – EXCLUSIVE: AUBL expands to 18 teams
03:08 – Preparing for the first home-and-away season
04:31 – What Jay learned from the NBA and CBA
06:34 – Who is the AUBL trying to reach?
08:11 – AUBL’s explosive growth: engagement, revenue and viewership
10:09 – Why Asian college basketball was historically overlooked
12:09 – Connecting college basketball to Asia’s pro leagues
13:50 – How the Asian basketball development system has evolved
15:35 – Education vs. turning pro: changing attitudes in Asia
16:33 – China’s traditional junior-team development system
17:08 – How Yao Ming helped change China’s basketball pipeline
18:20 – Why Chinese families increasingly value education
19:29 – Is Shanghai now China’s basketball capital?
21:06 – Shanghai Jiao Tong’s stunning Cinderella story
22:20 – The buzzer-beater and championship run nobody expected
23:34 – Creating an American-style college basketball atmosphere
24:27 – Competitive balance and the uncertainty that makes sports work
27:13 – When Jay realized the AUBL concept could really succeed
28:40 – The challenge of going from tournaments to home-and-away games
30:07 – Building campus basketball culture across Asia
30:42 – Why relationships with universities and federations matter
31:16 – Taking AUBL games to Seoul, Tokyo, Manila and beyond
31:44 – Jay Li reveals the AUBL’s grand vision
32:07 – 18 teams now — 30 teams next season
32:19 – Could the AUBL become Asia’s NCAA basketball system?
33:14 – Building a pathway from Asian high schools to college and the pros
33:41 – How long will the full vision take?
34:01 – Final thoughts and what’s next for Pacific Rims
#PacificRims #AUBL #AsianBasketball #CollegeBasketball #YaoMing #ChinaBasketball #CBABasketball #NCAA #ShanghaiJiaoTong #JapanBasketball #KoreaBasketball #PhilippinesBasketball
Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.
Reach and audience
Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.
Apple Podcasts (US)
5.0 / 5
1 ratings
Contact Pacific Rims
Guest appearances
Books guests
Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.
Host of Pacific Rims?
Claim your podcast to manage its listing and keep your show details accurate.
Pod Engine is an independent podcast discovery and analytics service and is not affiliated with or endorsed by this podcast. Artwork and show content belong to their owners. Full legal notice.
Explore this show Podcast research with Pod Engine
