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Iowa State vs. Iowa FREE LIVE STREAM (12/13/24): How to watch, time, TV channel for men’s college basketballOffense rules day as No. 10 Georgia dispatches Massachusetts
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola looked back on the stunning 4-0 home defeat by Tottenham and delivered a simple truth. "We have to accept the reality and break it," he said. Given he began his post-match news conference by saying "when you lose 4-0 there is not much to say" before offering his congratulations to Spurs on their biggest away win at City, Guardiola then spent quite a bit of time talking about it. How, after so much success over such a long period of time, "a dip"was inevitable. How "little details" were the cause of major problems, due in part, but not exclusively, to the number of injuries his side are struggling to cope with. How his belief in the players has not been shaken because of all they have achieved for him. But also how he will not ignore the reality of five successive defeats, something he has never experienced as a manager and City as a club last went through in 2006, when Stuart Pearce was in charge. Nether can he ignore that Liverpool would move eight points clear with a win at Southampton on Sunday - with a meeting with City at Anfield next up. "In eight years we never lived this. I knew sooner or later we would drop. I never expected to lose three Premier League games in a row but we have been incredibly consistent again and again and again. Now we cannot deny the reality that sometimes happens in football and life is here." The stats show several areas - apart from just the results - where City are in decline. City are being hit on the counter-attack much more than during any other season under Guardiola. They have faced an average of 1.17 shots on the counter per game this season. The previous highest total was 0.66 two seasons ago. Four of Spurs' five chances in the second half were from what Opta call a fast break – including Pedro Porro and Brennan Johnson's goals. This season, excluding penalties, they are conceding 1.25 goals a game - compared to 0.79 last term. They are only conceding a similar amount of shots per game (7.8 now compared to 7.7 last term) - but the quality of those shots is much better with the expected goals conceded (xGC) of 1.26 v 0.8 last time. They are struggling to cope with the absence of Rodri, the best defensive midfielder in the world and Ballon d'Or winner. In Premier League games with him in the team since the start of last season they have won 78% of games when he plays and 50% without him. On defeats it's even starker - 0% with him and 43% without him. An ageing squad is not helping. Some 52% of their league minutes have been played by players aged 29 or over - the highest figure of any team in this season's Premier League. Their form has visibly dropped during the season too, with their shots on target dropping from an average of 7.3 in their first 14 games in all competitions compared to 4.8 in their five defeats -and opposition shots on target rising from 2.4 to 6. Their goals for and against have almost reversed in that time -from 2.3-0.8 to 0.8-2.8. Despite a bright start, City were ultimately deservedly beaten by a Tottenham side who out played their hosts. "We are a bit fragile right now, that is obvious," said Guardiola. "We struggled to score goals and after when they arrived they scored. "We are playing with a little bit of negativity in our thoughts but this is normal. Football is a sense of mood. "We were always a consistent team conceding few chances. Our game was about control. "This is not a team created to do box-to-box 40 times in a game - we are not good at that. We were always a team who conceded few but now we concede more. I would like there to just be one reason but there are many." Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville described it as a "sobering day" for the champions, while ex-Tottenham midfielder Jamie Man City were "too easy to play against". Ex-Man City defender Micah Richards told Sky Sports: "I am flabbergasted. Spurs showed great quality but from Man City it was truly awful. "They got dominated in midfield, they look like there is a lack of energy, a lack of conviction. "I thought Pep's new contract would give them a buzz. Today it feels like more than a blip." It has not escaped anyone's notice that, although City play Dutch side Feyenoord in the Champions League on Tuesday, their next Premier League assignment is at Liverpool next Sunday. Given Arne Slot's men are already five points ahead prior to Sunday's trip to Southampton, the gap could become 11 points by the time next weekend is over. If Liverpool do beat the Saints, only once has a team had a bigger lead after 12 games - Man Utd in 1993-94, who went on to win the title. Opta's supercomputer gives Man City just a 25.3% chance of retaining their title. Asked directly whether 11 points would be too many to claw back, Guardiola stated firmly: "Yes, it’s true. "But we're not thinking about winning or losing [the title], we are not in the situation to think about what is going to happen at the end of the season. If in the end we don't win it's because we don't deserve it. "Now you realise how difficult what we have done is."In the not so distant future, both China and the United States , triggering the most significant global crisis since World War Two. Tensions between the two global superpowers have been steadily escalating, as Beijing prepares its military . In response, Washington’s generals have been steeling themselves for a fight, devising new war-fighting strategies and building new military alliances. While we’ve not yet reached the stage of a “hot war” just yet, is well and truly underway. On Tuesday, China retaliated against US chip export curbs by banning shipments of materials critical to the production of weapons in the other direction. The commerce ministry in Beijing announced the export of “dual-use” items related to gallium, germanium, antimony and superhard materials to the US had been suspended. Most commonly the materials are like solar panels, batteries and semiconductors. But they also play a role in the production of key military hardware, including missiles, communications systems and armour-piercing bullets. On Monday, Washington announced restrictions on the export of critical semiconductor manufacturing tools and a ban on shipments of advanced high bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, which are used in artificial intelligence systems, to China. Antimony is the material that is likely to be looked at most closely. The lesser-known heavy metal is used for all manner of military production, from basic ammunition, night-vision goggles to infrared-guided missiles and nuclear weapons. The technologies, especially missiles, are expected to be key in any . Last year, China accounted for 48 per cent of the globally mined antimony, creating the risk of shortages elsewhere around the world if exports are shut down. “Everyone will dig in their backyard to find antimony. Many countries will try to find antimony deposits,” an anonymous metals trader in Europe told the Reuters news agency, highlighting the material’s importance. But crucially for China, the export ban gives its leaders the chance to evaluate just how reliant the US is on its supply of the material. According to figures for 2023, 63 per cent of the 22,000 tons of antimony imported by the US came from China. If there are to be any more exports heading in the direction of Washington, Beijing will sign off on permissions. This will hand the Chinese Communist Party indirect information on what industries in the US are most reliant on the materials leaving the country. It could also be seen as a move to hamper US weapons production at a time because of wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. If those shortages are not addressed, it could prove fatal for Washington in an . It is unlikely that the US will be able to replace China as its principal supplier of antimony, considering that Russia is the world’s second-largest producer of the material. Like many Western countries, the US is scouring the world for new supplies of these rare materials. But this process is slow, and means is outpacing US efforts at a rate of five times faster. In a war game carried out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the US launched 5,000 missiles in the first three weeks of a conflict with China. “In every iteration of the war game, the United States expanded its inventory of long-range anti-ship missiles within the of the conflict, creating a critical problem of ‘empty bins’,” the think tank wrote in a subsequent report. Beijing’s latest restrictions were introduced in response to policies enforced by Joe Biden, the outgoing US president, who is considered a moderate when it comes to challenging China. Relations are only expected to deteriorate when Donald Trump starts his second term in the White House on Jan 21. The Republican president-elect has said he will on goods arriving from China. China has vowed to hit back with its own counter-measures, including even more restrictions on shipments of rare and critical materials. What Mr Trump does when he takes over will be crucial to narrowing the growing military production gap ahead of what could be an armed conflict between the two superpowers.
PHILADELPHIA and NEW YORK , Dec. 27, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- FS KKR Capital Corp. (NYSE: FSK) today announced that it has completed its previously announced offering of an additional $100 million in aggregate principal amount of its 6.125% notes due 2030 (the "Notes"). The Notes will be a further issuance of, and form a single series with, the $600 million aggregate principal amount of 6.125% Notes due 2030 that FSK issued on November 20, 2024 , increasing the outstanding aggregate principal amount of the series to $700 million . BofA Securities, Inc., BMO Capital Markets Corp., J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, KKR Capital Markets LLC, SMBC Nikko Securities America, Inc., and Truist Securities, Inc. are acting as joint book-running managers for this offering. FSK intends to use the net proceeds of this offering for general corporate purposes, including potentially repaying outstanding indebtedness under credit facilities and certain notes. This announcement does not constitute an offer to sell or a solicitation of an offer to buy any of the Notes, nor shall there be any offer, solicitation or sale in any state or jurisdiction in which such an offer, solicitation or sale would be unlawful. About FS KKR Capital Corp. FSK is a leading publicly traded business development company (BDC) focused on providing customized credit solutions to private middle market U.S. companies. FSK seeks to invest primarily in the senior secured debt and, to a lesser extent, the subordinated debt of private middle market companies. FSK is advised by FS/KKR Advisor, LLC. About FS/KKR Advisor, LLC FS/KKR Advisor, LLC (FS/KKR) is a partnership between FS Investments and KKR Credit that serves as the investment adviser to FSK and other business development companies. FS Investments is a global alternative asset manager dedicated to delivering superior performance and innovative investment and capital solutions. The firm manages over $83 billion in assets for a wide range of clients, including institutional investors, financial professionals and individual investors. FS Investments provides access to a broad suite of alternative asset classes and strategies through its best-in-class investment teams and partners. With its diversified platform and flexible capital solutions, the firm is a valued partner to general partners, asset owners and portfolio companies. FS Investments is grounded in its high-performance culture and guided by its commitment to building value for its clients, investing in its colleagues and giving back to its communities. The firm has more than 500 employees across offices in the U.S., Europe and Asia and is headquartered in Philadelphia . KKR is a leading global investment firm that offers alternative asset management as well as capital markets and insurance solutions. KKR aims to generate attractive investment returns by following a patient and disciplined investment approach, employing world-class people, and supporting growth in its portfolio companies and communities. KKR sponsors investment funds that invest in private equity, credit and real assets and has strategic partners that manage hedge funds. KKR's insurance subsidiaries offer retirement, life and reinsurance products under the management of Global Atlantic Financial Group. References to KKR's investments may include the activities of its sponsored funds and insurance subsidiaries. Forward-Looking Statements and Important Disclosure Notice This announcement may contain certain forward-looking statements, including statements with regard to future events or future performance or operations of FSK. Words such as "believes," "expects," "projects," and "future" or similar expressions are intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are subject to the inherent uncertainties in predicting future results and conditions. Certain factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected in these forward-looking statements. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially include changes in the economy, risks associated with possible disruption in FSK's operations or the economy generally due to terrorism, geo-political risks, natural disasters or pandemics such as COVID-19, future changes in laws or regulations and conditions in FSK's operating area and the price at which shares of FSK's common stock trade on the New York Stock Exchange. Some of these factors are enumerated in the filings FSK makes with the SEC. FSK undertakes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Contact Information: Investor Relations Contact Anna Kleinhenn Anna.Kleinhenn@fsinvestments.com FS Investments Media Team Melanie Hemmert Melanie.Hemmert@fsinvestments.com View original content to download multimedia: https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/fsk-completes-public-offering-of-100-million-6-125-unsecured-notes-due-2030--302339667.html SOURCE FS InvestmentsLINCOLN — Three things we learned and three things we still don't know about the Huskers coming out of Nebraska's win over Wisconsin. * * * 1. The Huskers are headed back to a bowl game for the first time since 2016. Shall we reacquaint you with the most likely options? There’s the Dec. 26 Guaranteed Rate Bowl in Phoenix vs. a Big 12 team, the Dec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit vs. the MAC champion, the Dec. 28 Pinstripe Bowl vs. an ACC team or, if NU managed to upset Iowa, the Dec. 30 Music City Bowl in Nashville vs. a SEC team. 2. Nebraska finally turned the first carries over to the best running back — Emmett Johnson. And the sophomore from Minneapolis delivered with three carries for 22 yards and a catch on NU’s opening drive. People are also reading... Recap: Here's how Joey Graziadei will win 'Dancing with the Stars' Zitel bound over to district court in death of child They fell in love with Beatrice. So they opened a store in downtown. At the courthouse, Nov. 16, 2024 Kidnapping in Nebraska prompted police chase that ended with 3 dead on I-29 in Missouri Chamberlain among seven inducted into Nebraska Baseball HOF No change in bond amounts in child abuse death case Harmonizers to perform Just Askin': Dana Holgorsen noncommittal on future, ranking a big week for Nebraska Athletics Clabaugh family presents Outstanding Educator award Inside Nebraska volleyball’s finishing kick for a Big Ten title: First up, Wisconsin Courthouse lighting ceremony planned for Sunday Historical society appoints board members, elects officers Believers bought airplane for dead preacher thinking he’d rise from grave to fly in it How one Virginia woman persevered through abuse, oppression in Christian 'cult' While Johnson may have options in the transfer portal, the Huskers should make NIL and revenue-sharing efforts to keep him. Johnson seems to fit the Dana Holgorsen system. 3. Even the best special teams units make mistakes. Wisconsin is ranked in ESPN’s top 20 of special teams units, but the Badgers allowed both a 45-yard kickoff return to start the game and, later, missed a 34-yard field goal after a delay-of-game penalty. Wisconsin also hammered a kickoff out of bounds, too. Uncharacteristic errors. 1. How quickly Nebraska can lock up Dana Holgorsen as the full-time, long-haul offensive coordinator. For NU’s first half alone, when the Huskers knocked out drives of 55, 80 and 76 yards for touchdowns, Holgorsen deserves a little extra. NU quarterback Dylan Raiola looked awfully sleek, too, completing 17 of 22 passes in the first half. The Jahmal Banks the Huskers hoped to get all season may have disappeared for a bit, but he returned Saturday with clutch third down catches and good blocks. Holgo lit a fire in that offense. 2. Whether the Huskers’ defense can handle the Hawkeye run game on a short week. NU has generally struggled to do so, and this is Iowa’s best rush attack in years. Wisconsin wanted to pound the ball at the Huskers with a diet of power plays, but had only intermittent success and a costly end-of-first-half fumble. Nebraska’s secondary is beat up and a little discombobulated, but Iowa’s starting quarterback, Jackson Stratton, may not be up for that task. 3. How many of those non-senior seniors who walked on Senior Day plan to return. Alongside super seniors like Ty Robinson and Isaac Gifford — those guys are done — you saw players like Stefon Thompson, Elijah Jeudy and Nate Boerkircher making the Senior Day walk, as well. Javin Wright did not walk because he’ll consider applying for a seventh year with a medical redshirt. Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Dickens' 3TD passes pace Western Carolina past Samford 47-42
Next NASCAR season for Denny Hamlin’s 23XI Racing organization is still up in the air. They will race, but there are still question marks. With three drivers racing as open teams, barring an injunction from the court, it could be an interesting year. The Clash this season is at Bowman Gray Stadium. It is a historic return for NASCAR and the venue. While it hosts Weekly Series races throughout the year, the Cup Series has not been there in decades. However, with the costs and potential damages and extra costs of that – 23XI Racing might sit out of the Clash. After all, open teams do not have to attend. Only chartered teams are mandated to show up. “I don’t know. I think a lot of dominoes need to fall. Sponsorship, things like that,” Hamlin said, via Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports . “So, I don’t know that that decision’s been rock solid, made yet. But you know we um, things are so fluid, over the next few weeks we’ll probably know more.” When asked if there was a benefit to the Clash, Hamlin said there was. However, there are also downsides. “Yeah it’s always a good, The Clash is always a good repetition. A rep,” Hamlin said. “It’s certainly one where even though you don’t have pit crews there, it’s good for the teams to work some kinks out. So, yes. But also you know, it’s, you’re probably going to go down there and tear up a lot of stuff. So, I don’t know, we’ll see.” Charter teams must participate in the Clash, but Open teams are not required to attend. Would 23XI Racing skip the Clash if they have that choice as an Open team? Denny Hamlin isn't sure: pic.twitter.com/DTQQLKouJM During the NASCAR Awards on Friday, Denny Hamlin spoke about many things. He had a crew chief change, an ongoing lawsuit at 23XI Racing, and the normal questions around performance and next season that drivers get this time of the year. Denny Hamlin gives update on charter purchase Despite announcing his third team and driver at 23XI Racing this week, Denny Hamlin still does not have a third charter in his hands. 23XI is still in the process of purchasing a NASCAR charter from the now-defunct Stewart-Haas Racing. With the ongoing antitrust lawsuit against NASCAR, it might take a while. NASCAR has to approve the purchase and right now, it doesn’t look like that is going to happen any time soon. At the NASCAR Awards, Denny Hamlin talked about the charter purchase. Or lack thereof at the moment. Bob Pockrass of FOX Sports reported that Hamlin, “said nothing is complete as far as the SHR charter to 23XI. He said he knows the options as far as that charter but can’t talk about it.” So, it is still unclear how that situation will work out. Riley Herbst will drive the No. 35 next year as an open car or chartered car. Tyler Reddick and Bubba Wallace will do the same thing in the 45 and 23 cars as well. This article first appeared on 5 GOATs and was syndicated with permission.Who is François Bayrou? France's fourth prime minister this year faces an uphill battle
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(BPT) - Tech gifts are consistently some of the most popular presents to give and receive during the holidays. In fact, according to the annual Consumer Technology Holiday Purchase Patterns report , a record 233 million U.S. adults (89%) will buy tech products during the 2024 holiday season. But with so many devices out there, it can be hard to decide on the perfect option for the loved one on your list. A tablet like the new Fire HD 8 from Amazon offers the versatility of an all-in-one device, with access to streaming, gaming, video chatting, reading or writing all at your fingertips. Fire HD 8 also features a vibrant 8-inch HD display and lightweight, portable design, for high-quality entertainment on the go. Plus, Fire HD 8 comes with three new AI features that can help you get the most out of your tablet experience. Check them out below and learn how they can help you with daily tasks this holiday season and beyond. 1. Meet your personal writing assistant Do you struggle with writing a heartfelt message or finessing a tricky email? Fear not! Writing Assist is here to help. Writing Assist works as part of your Fire tablet's device keyboard and compatible apps, including email, Word documents and social media. In just a few taps, you can transform your writing from good to great. Try Writing Assist's pre-set styles to turn a simple email into a professionally written note. Or, you can ask Writing Assist for grammar suggestions to make your writing more concise, or elaborate on your ideas. You can even "emojify" your writing to add more fun and personality. 2. Learn more in less time Say goodbye to scrolling through pages of information. The new Webpage Summaries feature allows you to learn pertinent information as quickly as possible. Available on the Silk browser on Fire tablets, Webpage Summaries provides quick insights on web articles. In a matter of seconds, this feature will distill the key points in an article or on a webpage into a clear, concise summary of what you need to know. 3. Get creative with your device wallpaper With Wallpaper Creator, you can easily add a touch of creative flair and customization to your tablet's home screen. You can choose from one of the curated prompts to get started on creating a unique background. Or, if you're ready to let your imagination run wild, type a description of what you'd like to see. For example, you can ask for an image of a tiger swimming underwater or a watercolor-style image of a desert landscape in space. Wallpaper Creator will then turn your vision into a reality, delivering a high-resolution image that you can use as your tablet's wallpaper. Celebrate an AI-powered holiday season Writing Assist, Webpage Summaries, and Wallpaper Creator are now available on Amazon's new Fire HD 8 and other compatible Fire tablet devices, including the latest Fire HD 10 and Fire Max 11 tablets. To learn more, or to order a new Fire tablet this gift-giving season, visit Amazon.com .
The Chicago Blackhawks blew a two-goal lead in the third period and lost to the host Philadelphia Flyers 2-0 in overtime Saturday. The loss wasted standout performances by goalie Petr Mrázek as well as fourth-liners Lukas Reichel, Pat Maroon and Craig Smith, who produced two goals and essentially dominated Flyers top threat Travis Konecny and his line. The Hawks’ penchant for throttling down in the third period did them in and cost them a chance to win in regulation. The Flyers seized the momentum in the third, knotting it 2-2 on goals by Sean Couturier and Noah Cates. Alex Vlasic committed a holding penalty in overtime, and rookie Matvei Michkov scored the winner at 1:06. The Flyers became one of just 11 teams to win after staging a third-period, multigoal comeback. The Hawks, who beat the defending Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers 3-1 on Thursday, lost for the fourth time in five games. “We got the lead and just costly turnovers,” Maroon said. “They played a good game, they stuck with their structure. ... “We’ve got to be better. (It’s) a 60-minute game, and unfortunately, we maybe played 20 of it.” Entering the game, the Reichel line had a 52% shots-for advantage in five-on-five and outscored opponents 3-1, according to naturalstattrick.com. On Saturday, they outshot opponents 8-5. On the opening goal, Maroon made a pass to Reichel, who flushed it with a sharp-angle shot for his first goal in 10 games at 11:29 of the first. In the second period, Maroon took a low-to-high feed from Smith and backhanded it past Aleksei Kolosov for his first goal as a Hawk. Reichel also assisted. But for the Hawks to even be in it, it took some stunning saves from Mrázek, who finished with 34 saves, particularly in the first period. Blackhawks goalie Petr Mrazek, left, blocks a shot by the Flyers’ Sean Couturier during the second period on Nov. 23, 2024, in Philadelphia. Mrazek made 34 saves in the 3-2 overtime loss. (Matt Slocum/AP) His 10 stops in the opening frame include his calm against a short-handed two-on-none rush between Konecny and Scott Laughton. Konecny tried to set up Laughton for a close-range tip-in, but Mrázek stretched to knock it away with his pad. In the third, Konecny back-passed to Morgan Frost for a Grade A point-blank chance, but Mrázek swallowed it up. During a frenetic Flyers attack, Mrázek preserved the tie with a diving stop on a wraparound by Rasmus Ristolainen. To put the Hawks goalie’s game in perspective, the Flyers held a 17-7 advantage in high-danger chances.Walmart to close New Jersey Sam’s Club fulfillment centerBy JILL COLVIN NEW YORK (AP) — President-elect Donald Trump wants to turn the lights out on daylight saving time. In a post on his social media site Friday, Trump said his party would try to end the practice when he returns to office. “The Republican Party will use its best efforts to eliminate Daylight Saving Time, which has a small but strong constituency, but shouldn’t! Daylight Saving Time is inconvenient, and very costly to our Nation,” he wrote. Setting clocks forward one hour in the spring and back an hour in the fall is intended to maximize daylight during summer months, but has long been subject to scrutiny. Daylight saving time was first adopted as a wartime measure in 1942. Lawmakers have occasionally proposed getting rid of the time change altogether. The most prominent recent attempt, a now-stalled bipartisan bill named the Sunshine Protection Act , had proposed making daylight saving time permanent. The measure was sponsored by Florida Sen. Marco Rubio , whom Trump has tapped to helm the State Department. Related Articles National Politics | Ruling by a conservative Supreme Court could help blue states resist Trump policies National Politics | A nonprofit leader, a social worker: Here are the stories of the people on Biden’s clemency list National Politics | Nancy Pelosi hospitalized after she ‘sustained an injury’ on official trip to Luxembourg National Politics | Veteran Daniel Penny, acquitted in NYC subway chokehold, will join Trump’s suite at football game National Politics | About 3 in 10 are highly confident in Trump on Cabinet, spending or military oversight: AP-NORC poll “Changing the clock twice a year is outdated and unnecessary,” Republican Sen. Rick Scott of Florida said as the Senate voted in favor of the measure. Health experts have said that lawmakers have it backward and that standard time should be made permanent. Some health groups , including the American Medical Association and American Academy of Sleep Medicine, have said that it’s time to do away with time switches and that sticking with standard time aligns better with the sun — and human biology. Most countries do not observe daylight saving time. For those that do, the date that clocks are changed varies, creating a complicated tapestry of changing time differences. Arizona and Hawaii don’t change their clocks at all.
China's AIMA brand electric motorbike is now in Bangladesh
NEW YORK CITY — Travis Hunter never dreamed of winning the Heisman Trophy. But as he was less than 24 hours from potentially hoisting the iconic bronze statue in the air, it began to feel real — and it’s become his favorite moment of the year. “Being here now is like a dream come true,” Hunter said Friday at the Marriott Marquis in Manhattan. Heisman Trophy finalist Travis Hunter, of Colorado, speaks during a college football media availability, Friday, Dec. 13, 2024, in New York. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin) Hunter has said he feels destined for greatness. Part of the reason he was drawn to playing for Deion Sanders was because he views Coach Prime as the greatest cornerback of all-time and sought to be coached by someone with a gold jacket from the Pro Football Hall of Fame — Hunter's own aspiration. While Hunter’s expectations of himself have been revealed in recent years, it was not something he voiced to those around him as he became a rising star at Collins Hill High School in Suwanee, Ga. “He's not gonna ever boast about himself,” Collins Hill coach Drew Swick told The Denver Gazette. “He's not that kind of person. Like, in high school, it was whatever the goal was — the state championship, region championship, that's what he talked about. It was not about, ‘I'm the best player out here,’ you know what I mean? "Whatever the mission is at the time, that's what he was locked in on.” From the beginning, Hunter’s mission has been to lift his family out of their difficult situation. Swick said Hunter’s family wasn’t in a positive circumstance in West Palm Beach, Fla. When the family moved to Georgia, there were six people living in a single room in a motel that no longer exists. While Hunter has enough motivation internally, he’s also been driven to elevate his mom and siblings into a better life. “He always puts other people first before his needs and that's why he's truly successful because he celebrates other people's successes and makes them better,” Swick said. “It's just been a lot of hard work for him and I know this was one of the steps prior to getting into the NFL. I'm just very, very proud of him and I can't wait to see the (Heisman) results on Saturday. Hopefully, he ends up getting it.” Colorado receiver Travis Hunter looks on against North Dakota State during an NCAA college football game Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024, in Boulder, Colorado. (AP Photo/Jack Dempsey) If Collins Hill was where Hunter’s football stardom began, it was in Boulder where it was put into the display case for everyone to see. But Hunter never wanted to go to Colorado. For a kid who grew up in Florida and Georgia and spent his first year of college in Mississippi, the foothills of the Rocky Mountains may as well have been a different universe. He was never going to play for a college coach other than Sanders, though, so he wore a Buffs hat when announcing his transfer destination in December 2022. “I definitely did not want to stay at Colorado when I first got there,” Hunter says now with a laugh. FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) celebrates his touchdown catch during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Central Florida, Saturday, Sept. 28, 2024, in Orlando, Fla. Over the last two years, Boulder has become home for Hunter — so much so that he doesn’t want to leave when he is drafted into the NFL by a team that is likely not the Denver Broncos. “I think Colorado’s the best state, if I’m being honest,” Hunter said. “I don’t want to move away. It’s where I think I want to build my family. I love it here. The people are very nice. I will always come back. I will always call this home because Colorado, they took me in with open arms.” CU fans needed one game to know what they had in Hunter. The season-opening win at TCU in 2023 introduced Hunter to the sports world. He's since built on his Buffs legacy. Hunter’s 2024 season will go down as one of the best in college football history. This week he collected multiple Player of the Year awards and won individual awards on both offense and defense — a first in the sport. FILE - Colorado wide receiver Travis Hunter (12) flies in for a touchdown past, from left, Utah linebacker Johnathan Hall, cornerback Smith Snowden and safety Nate Ritchie during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in Boulder, Colo. There’s one trophy left to win. He’s seen Rashaan Salaam’s Heisman Trophy every time he walked Legends Hall in the CU football facility. Friday, he put his eyes on the one that could be his. “Do I have to touch it?” Hunter said as he took a photo with the 2024 Heisman Trophy. He’d rather do so Saturday if it’s officially his.Ubisoft announced that it will discontinue development on XDefiant , its free-to-play first-person shooter title. As a result, half of the XDefiant team worldwide will be transitioning to other roles within Ubisoft. This decision also leads to the closing of the San Francisco and Osaka production studios and to the ramp down of the Sydney production site, with 143 people departing in San Francisco and 134 people likely to depart in Osaka and Sydney. For players, this also means the game is shutting down in June 2025. Ubisoft said new downloads and player registrations will no longer be available. The company will still release Season 3 content in the near future (exact date TBD) and the servers will remain active until June 3, 2025. Those who purchased an Ultimate Founder’s Pack will get a refund, as will those who made a purchase in the last 30 days. You can find a message from Mark Rubin, executive producer of XDefiant, here and from Marie-Sophie de Waubert, chief studios and portfolio officer, here . It’s a sad outcome for the XDefiant folks who had high hopes of competing with Call of Duty. XDefiant quickly surpassed five million players at launch and grew to 15 million, but evidently not enough of those players were buying things in the game to offset the growing costs. De Waubert said in her post to staff, “Despite an encouraging start, the team’s passionate work, and a committed fan base, we’ve not been able to attract and retain enough players in the long run to compete at the level we aim for in the very demanding free-to-play FPS market. As a result, the game is too far away from reaching the results required to enable further significant investment, and we are announcing that we will be sunsetting it.” The layoffs in San Francisco, Osaka and Sydney will be tough for those cities. Ubisoft critics have said the company has too many employees, given its size, and management has only recently begun to address this challenge that was years in the making. It probably didn’t help that Skull & Bones underperformed, as did Star Wars: Outlaws, and Assassin’s Creed: Shadows was postponed until 2025. Rubin’s statement is below: Hello XDefiant Fans, I am unfortunately here today to announce that XDefiant will be shutting down. Starting today (December 3, 2024), new downloads and player registrations will no longer be available. We will still release our Season 3 content in the near future (exact date TBD) and the servers will remain active until June 3, 2025. For those who purchased the Ultimate Founder’s Pack, you’ll receive a full refund. Players who made any purchases within the last 30 days will also be fully refunded. Those refunds should happen automatically within eight weeks of today and you can find more details on our official website, XDefiant.com. A few years ago, Ubisoft and the SF Dev team embarked on a bold adventure to develop a new arcade shooter called XDefiant. It was from the start, an incredible challenge. Not only were we trying to shake up the genre by removing Skill-Based Matchmaking (SBMM) while bringing back a more “old-school” arcade shooter experience, but we were also diving into the high-risk, high-reward realm of free-to-play. And for that I want to applaud not only the dev team but also Ubisoft leadership for taking that chance! Free-to-play, in particular, is a long journey. Many free-to-play games take a long time to find their footing and become profitable. It’s a long journey that Ubisoft and the teams working on the game were prepared to make until very recently. But unfortunately, the journey became too much to sensibly continue. I am, of course, heartbroken to have to be writing this post. Yes, this game has been a personal passion for me for years and yes, I know that not all challenges lead to victory, but I also want to recognize all of the developers who are being affected by this closure. Each and every one of them is a real person with a real life separate from our own and they have all put so much of their own passion into making this game. And I hope that they can be proud of what they did achieve. I know that I will always be proud and grateful to have worked with such a great team! A team that really punched above its weight class. And what they achieved is truly remarkable. The early response from players when XDefiant launched was amazing—we broke internal records for the fastest game to surpass five million users and in the end we had over 15 million players play our game! That is something to be extremely proud of, especially considering how tough this genre is. So, thank you to all of the developers who put their passion into making this game! If there’s one thing, I hope we can all take away from this experience, it’s the importance of open, honest communication between developers and players. This “player-first” mentality along with respectful, non-toxic conversations between developers and players has been one of the standout differences that made XDefiant so special. From my very first post about XDefiant, this was the vision I wanted to champion, and I hope it leaves a positive mark on how the game industry treats its players and communities. To our players, THANK YOU! From the bottom of my heart, I want to express my deepest gratitude for the incredible community that has grown around XDefiant. Your passion, creativity, and dedication have inspired us every step of the way. With the utmost of love and respect, Mark Rubin, Executive Producer, XDefiant Stay in the know! Get the latest news in your inbox daily By subscribing, you agree to VentureBeat's Terms of Service. Thanks for subscribing. Check out more VB newsletters here . An error occured.
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