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Images from Saturday night's game against American University at Allen Fieldhouse.
Kansas coach Bill Self talks to reporters following the Jayhawks' 89-57 victory over American on Dec. 29, 2012.
Kansas players Naadir Tharpe, Travis Releford and Jeff Withey talk to reporters following the Jayhawks' 89-57 victory over American.
For the longest time, Naadir Tharpe played like an athlete who didn't seem sure he was good enough to hang with the guys surrounding him. They attacked. He retreated. They made plays. He tried to avoid making bad plays.
Remember that guy? You can forget him now. Tharpe certainly has shoved him into the past.
Tharpe is sure he belongs now, so sure he played with as much confidence as anyone Saturday in Allen Fieldhouse, where he sparked Kansas to an 89-57 blowout of American, or for that matter anyone on your television all day long.
Tharpe always had one quality that gave him potential to fit in eventually. He's fast, really, really fast and plays on a team at its best when flying up and down the court. But when a player looks as if he's not quite sure he's good enough, it's difficult for anyone else to hop on board.
Suddenly, Tharpe's bandwagon's getting mighty crowded by the game and he's at the wheel. For the fourth game in a row, Tharpe played inspired basketball and had a big hand in Kansas playing at such a rapid pace.
The most impressive individual game statistic of this getting-better-all-the-time season now belongs to Tharpe. He had 12 assists without a single turnover. He consistently attacked, penetrating into the paint and zipping passes to open shooters behind the arc and underneath. He mixed in nine points on three of four three-point shooting and picked up four defensive rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench.
By halftime, Tharpe had eight assists, driving, shooting and passing Kansas to a 53-26 advantage. This was more a case of a sophomore fueled by soaring confidence than a superior athlete exploiting inferior competition.
Kansas won't again play a team as talent-challenged as American, but Tharpe's rapid improvement predated Saturday.
In the past four games, one against then-No. 7 Ohio State, Tharpe has 22 assists and has not turned it over once. Streaks like that are rare at any level of basketball. This assists-without-a-turnover streak grows much bigger and #TharpeFanClub will be trending on Twitter.
Tharpe also has made seven of eight three-pointers in the past three games, heading into that stretch with a 6-for-21 accuracy rate. But it's what he's doing as a distributor and what he's not doing — turning it over — that has raised the ceiling on a basketball team that already had a high one.
He's making such great decisions on the run, threading passes into tiny openings for sure-handed teammates who know how to finish. Tharpe's greatest wow moments came when was in the air seemingly with no play and found Withey for a dunk and when he turned his back to the basket in the lane and dished to Andrew White III for a slam.
Not long ago, it looked as if the one soft spot for Kansas was that Elijah Johnson was the only reliable point guard and Tharpe better fit the description of undersized shooting guard.
Since Tharpe's emergence, Johnson's play has picked up as well.
It took Tharpe longer than some to adjust to a demanding coach who isn't interested in athletes comfortable with becoming known as good basketball players. He wants them all to strive to achieve great things.
"It's been a process from the start," said Tharpe, a friendly sort not burdened by conceit. "No one just comes to Kansas and automatically is a superstar. So I've been trying to work hard in practice so I can be out on the floor to help my team win."
Few things put a charge into a team as richly as watching a young athlete shed his cloak of insecurity to reveal his true talent.
"It's awesome because 'Naa' gets into the paint a lot and he knows how to find people," senior center Jeff Withey said. "He did it today. He showed it. He does it all the time in practice. We're just getting more comfortable with him and he's doing a great job coming off the bench and doing really well. For bigs, we love playing with guards like that, anybody who can drive and kick it."
Tharpe's play has improved in all areas.
"He's getting more comfortable and he's more aggressive defensively," KU coach Bill Self said. "We've always said he could shoot the basketball and he can, he can really shoot, but he's getting where he can really facilitate very, very well."
Self, who hasn't been shy about criticizing Tharpe in the past, marveled at the box score.
"His line tonight, you go 3-for-4 from three and you have 12 dimes and no turnovers, you don't see that very often," Self said.
American coach Jeff Jones, in the aftermath of the blowout, became the latest to express the opinion that Kansas is as good as any team in the country. Nobody was saying that when Tharpe was in retreat mode.
"Ever since our team started playing well you could probably look back and say he's a big reason why," Self said of Tharpe. "When we were laboring, basically up until the Colorado game, I don't think Naadir had played very well, but when he plays well it seems like to me he's giving a boost every time he comes into the game."
Tharpe's recent play has made a deep team deeper and the two-man depth chart at point guard no longer is too shallow.
If anything before his hot streak Tharpe was too confident. He's playing like a teammate now instead of an individual.
trojan, I have to respectfully disagree. To me, it was obvious that Naadir was struggling with a lack of confidence. He displayed poor decision-making and uncertain play and wasn't shooting the ball particularly well.
But the light has come on! As I said elsewhere, he finally has his "sea legs" under him and now "gets it." This kid can play! And I'm really happy for him. His unveiling makes us so much better.
I havet to admit that I thought Tharpe would probably be transferring at years end. The jury is still out on his ability to defend elite guards, but offensively he's answering his critics, including me. Let's hope he keeps this up against stronger opponents.
Since I criticize, I'll also give props ... Tom, this is a really nice "op-ed" piece (can there be op-ed pieces on websites?) on a kid who is also improving nicely this year.
I'm one, who last year, cringed every time Naadir got into the game and wondered (early on this year) if things would change. However, since the Colorado game, his transformation has been outstanding. I feel much better about the remaining schedule now that he's much more consistent and confident.
I hope Rio -- another guard, I believe, who will be an amazing player -- shows the same patience with his transformation.
I will offer up three +1s on your post, ColdCoffee. Keegan, Tharpe, Rio.
Tharpe is the latest example, but this is full of examples of players staying patient and WORKING thru the process to achieve great results; Withey, Releford, heck even EJ. Perry is next in line, maybe starting with last night's DD.
It's unfortunate that others didn't go the route of past players —who worked thru the process—but chose to transfer. I think Ellis is already a patient cat, I'm more concerned with a player like Rio. Let me also mention that I liked the fact that coach got Rio and AWIII playing time against American last night, to help them get their game legs.
Interesting take but given his deer in the headlights look, his bad decisions, and how he was unable to keep up with the speed of the game, I'd have to agree to the lack of confidence opinions.
Bad Decisions = Turnovers... dude hasn't had one in 4 games and has had 22 assists between.. Speed of the Game??? He's the fastest guy on the court. Dears in headlights don't make the kind of assists he did with Jeff and Andrews dunks...
Kranny was obviously referring to what he was doing BEFORE the recent stretch -- hence his reference to the lack of confidence. Kranny wasn't talking about what he's doing now.
Opinion: Tharpe is suddenly playing so well because he knows Frankamp is on the way.
No way. Frankamp will be lucky to see as many minutes next year as Tharpe had last. Self doesn't give freshman guards noteworthy minutes, and both Rio and Naadir will be well ahead of him.
I hope you are wrong. All signs point to Frankamp being a stud and while I want 'Rio to be a great player, it looks like Frankamp is more skilled and polished. What will be interesting will be how fast next years freshmen adjust to the speed of the game.
Very rarely do freshman play meaningfully minutes for Self until they learn defense, especially on the ball defense. Tharpe sat most of last year and learned what it takes to get onto the court. McLemore had a year to learn what is expected. If Adams keeps working hard and does not let the fact that his minutes will decline as the conference starts (Self's bench gets shorter and shorter) get him down, he will be ahead of the freshman coming in next season. You have to earn your minutes at KU and very few true freshman have the defensive abilities coming out of high school to play at the level Self demands.
Actually, I think Self plays those he feels give the team the best chance to win. Often, freshmen are not yet ready for that role, McLemore being an exception. If Frankamp is ready and is the best option, he'll be on the floor. Otherwise he'll do his pine time while learning.
I completely agree with iamakufan. Self gives minutes to the player that shows in practice that they are the best prepared to play at both ends of the floor. He wants guys that play defense, then offense. He'll play a better defeder over a better scorer because his system creates scoring.
If Frankamp is better than the options, then he will play right away. It has nothing to do with being a freshman. frankamp would be wise to be working OT on his defensive technique and effort level to prepare himself for what will be expected of him at KU.
Im sorry boogeyman, I have to disagree. Tharpe is beginning to explode onto the scene. He's a becoming a great player with the confidence to lead this team. His decision making has been A+ as of late. However, to say that Frankamp won't see as many minutes as Tharpe did his fresman year is absurd. Here's why:
Coming out of high school Rivals.com ranks Conner Frankamp as the 7th best PG in the country and 31st best player overall. Naadir was the 19th PG and 92nd overall. Now, Rivals isn't the end-all-be-all, but my comparison doesn't stop there. This summer, Conner played for the USA U17 team that won a world championship with high-scoring players such as Jabari Parker, Jahlil Okafor, and Tyus Jones, and was the highest scorer on the team. He averaged 14.1 pts. a game while dishing 19 dimes and only 6 TO. Last but not least, go check out that video posted somewhere of Conner working out with his dad. The kid is lights out from 3-point land (so is Naadir lately), but some people predict that he could shoot anywhere from 35-45% from trey-land (http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1447188-which-kansas-recruit-will-have-a-bigger-impact-conner-frankamp-or-joel-embiid).
Now don't get me wrong, Naadir will be the starting PG for next years squad, but to say that Conner has no chance to beat out Anrio for the backup spot is ludicrous. The kid will come in being one of the smarted basketball players on the team as a freshman. He'll get his minutes.
I agree and disagree with you.
Mostly Self doesn't give freshman guards big minutes, but he did Josh Selby.
I think Frankamp will have a very tough time starting ahead of returnees Naa, Rio and AW3, unless his defense is really sparkling from the get go.
But it seems quite reasonable that Conner, given his gun, as soon as he can master minimum standard Self Defense (i.e., few blow bys, few concentration lapses) could join the rotation.
Remember Self tried to play Naadir last year many times, but he just wasn't up to the D1 game yet, physically, or mentally. And a player has to be ready on both counts, not just one or the other.
A lot of it depends on what Self thinks Rio's best spot is: point or 2. And how good Greene and Seldon can guard out of the box. Someone here told me that Greene's defense coming in will be at least as weak as Andrew White's has been so far. If Greene has as much trouble with defense as AW3 has had, then Seldon's going to be at starting at the 3, and Greene will be backing him up. Then I suspect that Naa and Conner will man the point, and Rio and AW3 will man the two with Rio soaking up minutes at the point, if Conner cannot adapt to D1 defense rapidly.
But if Greene can defend well enough at the 3, then I suspect we might see AW3 starting at the 3, and splitting time with Greene, and we might see Seldon move to the 2.
Seldon's future depends heavily on how good his defense is out of the box and how good his trey is. He appears to have a weak trey. So: that means he has to be a great defender to start at either the 2, or the 3.
The odds are that all these incomers are going to be back ups, except maybe Seldon.
But you never know.
I hope Anrio drastically improves his 3 point shooting like Releford has and quits tweeting that he's getting overlooked. I can't recall him making a single shot outside of 15 feet this season. I hope he transfers if he doesn't improve his shooting and most of all, his attitude.
As for Frankamp, I think he'll be ready to back up Tharpe by Big 12 play next season. Him starting at PG and playing well for the US 17 and under team that won gold makes me think that he'll be better than Tharpe was his Fr. year.
Hopefully the posters that have been ragging on Tharpe will keep their mouths shut from now on and also give future new Jayhawks the benefit of the doubt as they are adjusting to the college game.
The action has clearly "slowed down" for Tharpe to borrow Coach Self's terminology. He is seeing the angles, making the passes, and anticipating the other guard's moves when he is on defense.
As I said to some derision in a prior posting, Tharpe has the best handle on the team. No turnovers in the last three games. You may be looking at next year's starting point guard.
Totally agree. I hate seeing dumb posts about young players looking like "deer in the headlights" or "looking lost out there." Usually by posters who don't watch the game too closely or don't really understand the game in the first place. Read the same dumb posts about the Morris twins, Tyshawn, EJ and Jeff.
You could see even in Naadir's limited minutes last year (if you knew what to look for) that he had great speed, quickness and shooting ability, and confidence, and could definitely be an impact player for the Jayhawks.
KULA, Spot on dude.
Its more than a little ironic that all your posts says is that you "...hate seeing dumb posts about young players looking like 'deer in the headlights,'" after which you then don't add a whit of insight, or substance. :-)
Yeee hawwwww, there's nothing better than having fun with KULA. :-)
Well, there are a few things. Like getting an oil change. Or even a root canal. :-)
Naa Naa Naa Naa.... Naa Naa Naa Naa.... Hey hey hey... -dir Tharpe
Sadly, a few good games (or articles) do not a career make, Keegan.
I'm hoping Naadir and Ellis (also had a solid game) step it up toward the latter end of conference. With those guys playing at even 80 percent, and the rest of our regular ballers improving or playing static ball, we're one of the deepest teams in the country. Twelve assistsin a game is impressive, though this night should be taken with a grain of salt. I hope Tharpe can keep it up against a team not ranked near 300 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings.
"I hope Tharpe can keep it up against a team not ranked near 300 in Ken Pomeroy's rankings."
I'm wondering if you watched the Ohio St. game .. Tharpe was terrific.
I'm so conciliatory today, I can't believe it.
You're both right.
Naadir's performance against American doesn't mean much.
On the other hand, he did look pretty good against Thad Nad's Black Eyes.
Can we agree that there is now room for some optimism about Naadir and that Temple, plus a few conference games should make things conclusive.
Actually, wouldn't someone be more lazy if they Googled something? It took more typing and patience to ask the question here, only to get a POS answer.
Rich people use to give dimes to the poor, hence "slinging dimes". Rockefeller was the most famous for it.
Could be way off the road but I think it may have to do with giving a person a dime to make a phone call. Hence the related term "drop a dime" on someone turning them in for a crime. monk
Jaydogger, I have had some poster "children" give me a hard time for asking questions. I enjoy it. My favorite so far "I don't play chess". There seems to be a class system on this site. Upper class, lower class and no class.
I'm not to lazy to goggle, that's how I got here in the 1st place. I do like talking with other fans. All of them. Are there rules for posting? Lil help? Whoops, sorry, did it again.
Super research there JayDogger.
Either way, there is so much unindexed inflation that we ought to be calling them silver dollars.
monkeehawkSL8 why do you ask questions?
Tharpe's improved offensive numbers speak for themselves. But just as impressive has been his on-ball defensive intensity...and in Coach Self's world that is the solution for removing splinters.
The pic of Rel's dunk is awesome!!!
I think that's the same dunk which made ESPN's top 10 Plays of the Day - #7. BTW, Withey's dunk down the middle of the lane was # 2 for the day.
Tharpe belongs, and that is all that matters. I look forward to two more seasons watching Naadir Tharpe in a Kansas Jayhawks uniform. If he plays this well in conference and tournament play, he deserves the right to play for pay in the NBA.
Just over a month ago, Self was proclaiming that if Tharpe didn't pick it up, he was going to have to go "in a different direction." Part psychological motivation, part dead serious -- mostly dead serious.
Self criticized his defense effort, his decision making, shot selection. Tharpe was close to losing his spot. There was a fork in the road. The fork in the road was so distinct, in my opinion, that Tharpe was playing for his scholarship. If Adams had overtaken him as the back up point guard, with the talent we have coming in, it would be reasonable to think he could transfer. Adams now sits on the perch. With Adams, the talent is there. You can see it. Will he be patient and continue to work?
Make no mistake though .. despite the posts of Jaylark and KULA above .. the criticisms of Tharpe here were by and large completely legitimate. It's easy to say once a guy is playing well .. "see, you were wrong." Again, most criticisms of Tharpe were legitimate. Really, Self's comments reinforced what we all saw and commented on. And during those stretches, we didn't see significant Tharpe defenses here by either KULA or Jaylark, though KULA did make a note after a good game by Tharpe. But my point is not to criticize them. My point is that Tharpe really was walking the tightrope and that the criticisms were valid. Self was trying to bring in Barber, or Jackson, right? Guys that legitimately would have started as freshmen .. over Tharpe. Tharpe was no sure thing.
It appears that Tharpe has won. Why has Tharpe won? Why has he gotten over the hump?
First, playing time. A point KULA and I have agreed on for a long time. Tharpe has had the opportunity to play, to mature, to get better -- in games. We have seen it right before our eyes in the first 12 games. To get in the flow of the game. To adjust to game situations. Experience. It is valuable. You don't get "experience", by and large, from sitting on the bench. It's now showing with Tharpe.
Second, confidence .. his confidence and ability to make plays comes from not worrying about is role on the team. My belief is that early he felt his role was in doubt (because it was). Even when the criticism came from Self's mouth, I mentioned that the most telling moment would be the first guard in off the bench that next game .. Tharpe or Adams. It was Tharpe. From that moment, once it was clear that he had beaten out Adams, his game has taken off. No coincidence in my book.
Third, coaching .. we can pontificate about what is best, how things should be done, etc. But behind the scenes, in practice, on the bus, in meetings -- mentally and physically -- we have the best coach in the country. He's made the kid better. He's inspired the kid. He's inspired defensive intensity as leonard mentioned above.
Wrong, HEM. I posted several defenses of Tharpe and as I mentioned was subject to derision each time, perhaps even by you.
I will give you kudos for defending Naadir.
He has exceeded my expectations for this season already. And mine were pretty low. I thought he would get to where he is defensively right now, but I did not expect him to become near the trigger man from outside that he is. And I did not expect Self to restring the offensive bow as he has to capitalize so fully on EJ's and Naadir's passing talents. I thought we were in for an extended stretch of trying to make them go to iron.
All in all, I believe Naadir has proven Self's intuitions about who can play D1 and who cannot true again. Self doesn't ask everyone to be able to do everything. And Self seems to have a sixth sense about mental development in basketball players. He seems to be able to judge when a guy has come far enough to really put the spurs to him and he seems to know when to say, "Nope, not this season."
One of several bottom lines with Self is that if thinks he's got a guy that can drain treys, and who will be able to play minimum standard defense, then that guy has a role regardless of what other limitations he may have.
Naadir is joining a long line of guys like Jeff Gray (not sure of my recall of his last name, but he was a KC Sumner guy on some of Self's early KU teams), Brady Morningstar, Tyrel Reed, Conner Teahan, and others that are kept around, because they can drain the trey, and eventually play 20 mpg or more, because of it.
But also I don't really think HEM is out to disrespect you here.
He overlooked my early support of Tyshawn Taylor, but it was nothing personal, or negative. Hell, there are so many posters posting so many things that all generalizations have to be made conditional on someone else recalling it differently.
FWIW, I didn't go back and check the actual timing of my early posting about Tyshawn either. As I have learned here time and again, memory is iffy at times.
Anyway, not to worry.
Me too. Not that I need any kind of shout-out, but I've been a really big fan of Naadir's ever since he came to KU. To me, the debate of "who should get the most minutes at backup PG this season?" has been settled for a while now (basically, ever since Bill Self said he "may have to go in a different direction" and continued to stick with Naadir over the other options).
Jaylark -- I saw your suggestion that I was shorting you on your defenses of Tharpe. Of course, my memory can be faulty.
I went back and looked .. on 12/5/12 you agreed with my suggestion that Self's quick hook might be a detriment to guys like Tharpe; on 11/27/12 you noted Tharpe's ballhandling and quickness. Then, way back on 10/16/11, in the preseason, you were hopeful Tharpe would contribute; and on 11/13/11, after the Kentucky game, you noted Tharpe, as a "plan B" in recruiting, might be better than we thought.
Really, I didn't see any "significant defenses" of Tharpe, as I had said. Nothing other than the limited comments I noted. No real responses to folks that may have derided Tharpe's abilities. If I'm wrong, please feel free to point those out and I will gladly acknowledge my error(s).
In looking back, I did note your suggestion though last spring that Merv Lindsay would be in the rotation this season, that he was your "sleeper", and that he reminded you of Tayshaun Prince ... but we won't hold that against you.
No way to know if I was wrong about Merv Lindsay until at least next year. He left KU of his own accord and I still think that he will be a good ball player for his new school. I'm not sure how you can interpret my posts about Tharpe as anything other than defending him from criticism. You'll also note that one poster's response to my defense was 'You've got to be kidding." Tharpe has proven that I was not.
HEM, one of your good ones.
Naadir's criticism's have been somewhat valid, but I feel like a lot of people here think that the grass is greener with Rio and just look for ways to nitpick Naadir's game (that includes you, HEM). There have been plenty of games where fans here claim that Naadir "keeps getting blown by on defense," while failing to admit that in the same games, Elijah, Ben, and AW3 were all blown by as many times as Naadir was. I feel like that criticism alone has been the least valid of of Naadir this season. He's not nearly as much of a liability on defense as fans here claim. Honestly, I've been debating with you all season that Naadir is the best option at backup PG (you've been arguing in favor of Rio) and I don't think Naadir's job was ever in as much jeopardy as you make it out.
Yes, Bill Self tried out Releford and KY at the point guard spot.
Yes, Bill Self mentioned to the media that he "may have to go in a different direction" at PG.
Yes, Naadir got pulled out of games quickly when he made bad decisions.
But I would argue that these were all just part of Naadir's development as a contributing player at KU. Like you said, nobody is better at developing players than Bill Self and this is exactly how he does it. Think about it this way:
No, Releford and KY were never actually going to play backup PG. That was just Bill Self implying to Naadir (and Elijah, if you'll remember), "if you continue to refuse to drive and dish, we're going to start looking elsewhere for players that will." This was Bill Self's way of getting Naadir and Elijah to penetrate more. Looks like that strategy worked.
No, Bill Self was probably never going to "go in a different direction," as he told the media. Again, that was just a statement made to the public to get a reaction from Naadir (and Elijah, as Elijah was not playing very well when Self made that statement). Competition makes the team better and this was just Self trying to get the best out of his top two PG's. Looks like this strategy worked too.
And lastly, the reason Naadir got the quick hook from Self so many times as a freshman (and early this season) was because Self realized early on that Tharpe is probably going to be the best option at PG next year. He understands that at the end of this season, Naadir needs to be capable of running the team. It appears that his coaching strategy is paying off big time (I know Self's "quick hook" strategy has been hotly debated here in the past).
If you can't see the difference between Tharpe's defense and those you mentioned, then I can't help you. Further, coach Self was very clear about his opinion on Tharpe's defense. If you won't listen to that, I can't help you.
My opinion .. just opinion .. is that Self was serious about going in a different direction. I think Tharpe's comments about where his head was, in today's column, support that even further. But the "psychological" part about it, is undeniable.
I would suggest that Tharpe's successes have little to do with that. I would argue it impedes the progress of players. Many coaches don't handle things that way and succeed, all to varying degrees. And I point to events (at least coincidences) that support my position there with Tharpe, the timing, etc. But results are what matters. And we can't look at only the successful results .. we have to look at the failures, too.
Honestly, Tharpe's development on defense has been slower than some, but he definitely plays as well on defense as AW3 does. Travis, Elijah and Ben are all ahead of him in that department, but I'm confident Naadir can become as good a defender as Elijah one day. He's still learning and growing as a defender, so time will tell.
Tharpe's successes have everything to do with Bill Self and his "toughening box", as jaybate would call it. When a recruit chooses to play at KU, he knows that it's not going to be a cake walk. Bill Self always makes comments to the media to get better production out of players. I think the comments about "going in a different direction" and trying out different players at the point were both attempts to get better production out of Elijah and Naadir. It makes sense, especially when you consider that both players have started playing a lot better since Bill Self made those statements.
It's the same reason why Bill Self always talks to the media about Perry Ellis like he's a "deer in the headlights." That he needs to think less and let the game come to him. He says those things to the media to plant the seed and help a player realize what he's trying to get out of them. I think it's part of Bill Self's strategy as a coach. He does it a lot.
Finally, and this is at the core of Tharpe's value .. ballhandling. I remember KULA posting a reply to a suggestion back in the spring that Releford could be a backup point guard, mocking the suggestion. I agreed. I have made significant mention of the value of ballhandling (as has KULA). A point guard, or combo guard, that can handle the ball is a "must have" on the court. Period. It's why we have not played one minute of contested game situations this season without either EJ or Tharpe on the court. It's why the suggestions of KY at the point, or Releford, were just ridiculous. Look at the Ohio St. game. Non-ballhandlers can't handle that big time pressure. It's why Self said he was targeting a "point guard" in recruiting. Ballhandling is a priority one skill. You have to have depth at ballhandling. Tharpe is the best ballhandler on this team (no disrespect to EJ).
It now appears that we have ourselves a point guard. This is a great thing for this team. Now, and in the future.
In a point guard discussion, I have to bring this up about KULA .. We go back a ways on Tyshawn Taylor debates. He was ultimately correct on Taylor .. kind of. I like to point out that I was right for 3 1/2 seasons, and KULA for 1/2 of a season. But who's counting? I actually did concede to KULA in November or December of 2010, TT's junior year, just before Selby got on the court. When TT played that awesome 10 game stretch. KULA gladly accepted. But, unfortunately, I rescinded my concession shortly after that.
Taylor led us to a final four. Debate over. KULA wins. But the best KULA quote ever .. "He (Tyshawn) brings the offense like no other player." This was late in his freshman season or early sophomore season, I think. And my recollection is a bit foggy, but I recall this being after a multiple turnover, 2-9 shooting day (or something like that). At least it sounds better like that. With Tharpe, KULA might have an easier job .. 12 assists, no turnovers. Not a TT line, for sure. KULA was the ultimate TT defender.
Now, Brady? That's a different story ....
Rarely have to disagree with you anymore, HEM.
I was the first, ultimate and definitive TT defender.
I nicknamed him Quantum T after his second or third game.
slayr would have been ahead of me, but he was probably busy the day I posted.
I had him pegged from the first game of his freshman year.
I knew exactly what rate he would progress once the magnitude of his focus problems became manifest during his sophomore season.
I said he was going to have a ton of trouble making the transition to the point, but that he would be a fabulous point guard once he conquered the focus and attention span issues.
Does the word caboose mean anything to you? :-)
My narcisistic quest to claim bragging rights on Tyshawn, aside, your post is rational and persuasive.
jb: And yes, I do recall your passionate defenses of TT .. even in the face of all those turnovers. You held your position without wavering too much.
As a coach, I would have wanted to change TT into a pass first point guard. Personally, I can't stand point guards that play like TT. Just not my style.
However, I was more than willing to ride his wild play to the title game with a big smile on my face .. he put it all together that second half of last season. It was worth the wait, to be sure.
And I'll be honest here, I didn't see it coming.
HEM--thanks for the props! It's appreciated, especially coming from as good a poster as you. It's even more satisfying seeing how much it galls jaybate, lol.
Now, you're not going to argue with me about Brady, are you? Let me throw another quote at you. "He brought NO offense like no other player, lol"
I'll throw this out to you also, with all due respect. In the 3 1/2 seasons that you were right about Tyshawn, what was KU's won/loss record?
KULA .. No disagreement on Brady .. I was in your camp on Brady. I wasted a lot of keystrokes on that debate.
And, yes, I am aware of the won/loss record. I'm also aware of how much time off the end of my life Mr. Taylor has cost me. But I am also aware of how leading a team to a final four, and playing as well as he did in the 2nd half of last season, kind of ends the debate.
Haha, I watched the same mistakes as everyone, but rather than taking time off the end of my life, I feel they enriched my life. Thats what sports are all about--to watch superior physical humans STRIVE to do great things. That's what makes a player a gamer--the courage to take the big risk. To seek, to strive, to find, and not to yield...
The flashes of brilliance we saw with Nadir last year reminded me of a freshman Russ Rb & I personally think he's budding up as an elite player. He played at Brewster with TRob & is tough as nails for a small guy. With EJ's shoulder & knees always a concern, this could not happen soon enough. And 100% agreed HEM, balllhandling is priority #1. 22 assists & no TO's in 4 games is no cupcake stat, Throw in 6-7 from behind the arc & wow, he'd be starting for a hundred other D-1 schools. Way to go young man...we can dig it!
Nice you brought up the Brewster angle. When he played there Tharpe was noted for his ball handling, and for the team's overall record during his time playing. (Can't remember, but I think he only had 1 or 2 losses overall.) And it was specifically pointed out that his best asset was finding teammates for assists. Something he's now bringing to the table.
Is he a second coming of RussRob? Questionable his Frosh year, and now fitting into the mold Self has been hoping he'd fit into? Last season I put him on a razor's edge, saying he could easily fall, but hoped he could keep his balance. I've always liked Nadir's attitude, and remember his dance in the locker room after a Jayhawk win last season. May have been the Final Four win over OSU?
Looking ahead to next year, when Self will only have non-walkons - Ellis, Tharpe, Adams, AWIII, and Wesley back (and maybe BenMc.), Self is going to need good point guard skills to hold the reins and control what will be a very young team with plenty of potential - for scoring and for making mistakes. And perhaps, knowing Tharpe has an eye for assists, that will impress Randle in his final school selection.
Oops, forgot Traylor and Lucas. My foot in my mouth. My apologies to both.
Ha! Yes, the little jig that Tharpe did was great! I think BMac is actually doing it in the new "Pay Heed" video (Episode 9). The "dance" starts at about the 3:03 mark.
I hate to rain on a parade, but Naa still has acute depth perception problems with on-ball defense.
He's guarding better, but you're all going to be very, very glad that EJ's knee continues mending, once the good opposing guards resume showing up.
He made several defensive errors against American that American's players were not good enough to cash in on.
Naa has turned a big corner. Self has adapted the offense to both Naa's and EJ's strengths and that is the biggest reason both players are looking much better on offense. On defense, Naa is now to a level of consistently mediocre.
The key is that Naa has reached a point of cortical development where he can actually learn what he is doing wrong and how to compensate.
But if EJ goes down again and Naa has to carry the defensive load at point, Self is going to have to go back to masking in a very big way again.
Naa's defensive development is on a track to be starting grade next season, not this one.
The great thing for Naa is that he has finally reached a level of development that Self can justify continuing with him as a guy he can expect to develop sufficiently for certain as a starter, or first backup at the point, depending on what the recruiting cat drags in.
I'm not sure, simply from a physical standpoint, if Tharpe will ever be a good defender. For example, he will always have problems against a team with big guards like we had last season .. who would he guard? Taylor, EJ, Releford?
I think your conclusion is right on point there .. his role now rests on recruiting.
We land Jones, Mudiay or Vaughn, yes, he's the back up.
I have to disagree with HEM again. Playing good defense is not primarily a physical skill. It's a mental one. Tharpe has had a year and half of college level practice and D-I games to develop those mental skills. They will keep him ahead of any of the incoming freshman.
There are some guys that can do it out of the box.
There are many that cannot.
Josh Selby and Xavier could.
There's not much doubt looking back that Ben could have been either a starter or a sixth man on last year's team.
HEM is talking about top tier talent.
If Self signs an OAD at the point, there is a significant likelihood that the guy would start and Naadir would backup.
What Self seems to like to do is to bring the OADs in and start them, but then only play them about 20mpg and back them up with a low error veteran. This creates a sitiuation where if the OAD begins to blow up, but doesn't want to be restringed downward, Self can afford to go ahead and sit him. And if the OAD is super, playing the veteran significant minutes ensures the vet develops for the year following the jump.
It could go either way.
One thing you are right about, however, is this: Naa can drain the trey and distribute and guard at least adequately; this means he is money in the bank for Self no matter what the recruiting cat drags in.
Jaylark .. see what jaybate said.
Also, I never said whether defense was more mental or physical.
What I said was that Tharpe has physical limitations. You first have to have the physical ability. That's a prerequisite. Do you think coach Self could guard McLemore better than, say, Andrew White? Mentally, of course, Self has the advantage. But at age 50, Self physically can't hang. Probably couldn't have at age 22.
Playing defense is very mental. Very much something that can be learned. But physical limitations can limit one's peak. That's all I meant.
Ah, the "too small to play good defense" argument. I'm looking forward to Naadir proving you wrong for the next couple of years.
Naadir gets better on defense every game. He's got quick hands and as many have mentioned, he's one of the fastest players on the court every game. What most people don't realize is that short players neutralize opposing height with speed and quickness. You can't teach height, that's for sure. But you can't teach speed either. Naadir is learning how to play faster on defense. He progresses all the time. As Bill Self said, there's no drop off when Naadir comes into the game now.
I agree with Jaylark that Naadir will have a leg-up on incoming recruits next season for the same reason he has a leg-up on Rio right now: Naadir has experience, immense offensive talent and his defense is now developing to the point where he's no longer a liability on that end of the court. Naadir will be the starting PG next season (with Selden probably sharing some ball-handling duties), Rio will be the backup PG and Frankamp/Mason will be the third option. As someone who is familiar with Bill Self's coaching methods, I can see the writing on the wall there.
HawkKlaw: My question was whether Tharpe will ever be a "good defender." Again, as with many topics, you paint your response to the statement you wish was made, not the statement that was made. Small players can be good defenders -- again emphasis on "good" -- but not against overwhelming size. Tharpe is short, he's small, he has short legs, he doesn't have much of wingspan. He is quick, but not significantly quick side to side (that can improve). I have no doubt he can be an acceptable or adequate defender. Much the same way EJ is an acceptable defender.
I too think Tharpe is the starting point guard next season. You make such a statement as if it is some sort of revelation. It's not. Heck, that was the obvious assumption even before Tharpe was playing better. I, like many, have noted him as a likely starter for 2013 for a number of months. Understand that we .. others .. also understand a bit how coach Self operates.
You question how good of a defender Tharpe can be because of his "physical limitations." You think he will always have problems with "big" guards. I responded directly to that statement by saying that I'll be happy to watch him prove you wrong. So actually, I did respond to the statement that was made.
To further my point, Naadir guards Elijah Johnson everyday in practice and never backs down from him. Elijah is a 6'4" senior starting PG at one of the best basketball schools in the country. According to your philosophy, Naadir should have problems guarding Elijah because of his size, but he doesn't (as reported in an article on this very site last week). Therefore, I must respectfully disagree with you on Tharpe's so-called "physical limitations."
So, how is 'Naa' pronounced? Nah or Nay?
Omg use google!!!
"Nah" since it's "Nah-deer"
It's the same as when my ex-wife would respond to me about having some wild sex.....NAH, I've got a headache!!
My wife just says "Is the mailman here?"
Mine says: "Not tonight, honey, I'm fantasizing about Big from Sex and the City." :-)
That one I can understand! Thanks. As for same as his name is pronounced, I guess I had that wrong, too. I thought I heard coach Self pronounce it "nay' deer" but apparently I got that wrong, too. Thanks for the replies/help.
The content of Keegan's writing is good, most days. However, the way he puts words on paper makes him sound like a high school freshman. I always wonder how he is the sports editor at LJW.
A few notes:
1) A Backup Point Guard with 22 assists and 0 Turnovers and known for his shooting ability is exciting to have.
2) Self really understands how to develop role players and by the time they are seniors it seems like they are leaders. Some are starters and some are the first or second person off the bench, but they all when they stick it out, are all Jayhawks and we love to see them play.
3) For instance, TRob, Markieff, Releford, Cole, Brady, etc.
4) I also think that a lot of players wouldn't have had as big of an NBA hope without the coaching of Self. I think Markieff and TRob are the prime examples.
I believe Tharpes incentive to improve came from football coach Weis. After watching how efficient Tharpe was at dribbling the ball off his foot, Weis offered Tharpe a schoolie to join the football team as a kicker. ( all fiction and just kidding)
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Welcome to the latest Mobile Insider review. This time, @Kalak and @Annirowe are putting the Sony Xperia Z3 through its paces.
The Z3 is the latest phone from Sony, boasting:
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Hi, I've got two big questions about the Xperia Z3...
Firstly, how does the camera perform in practice? Much was made of the camera in the Xperia Z1 (my current phone), but I was honestly underwhelmed by it. Despite all the megapixels and apparently high quality lens, it was easily outperformed by other flagship phones at the time.
Secondly, how long does the battery last with normal use?
We recently had the pleasure of testing the Z3 in the office here at Telstra Digital so I thought I would start of the discussion by sharing my impression of the phone.
I must admit I've always been an Apple girl and never had an Android. I love the aesthetic appeal of Apple products and considered myself too used to their features and system to ever switch to an Android.
Enter Sony Z3. I was surprised at how much I liked it
The Pros
The Cons
All in all, it's a great phone and I was very impressed. Maybe enough to nudge me over the edge of converting from my iPhone. Now I'm keen to trail the other Androids out there - any suggestions for me for comparisons sake?
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Hi Guys, I'm also interested in the photo abilities of this unit.
I'm always taking selfies and of course want to look at my best for my fans, don't want any pink spots or anything like that, so let's see your selfies and how they shape up against mine on my Samsung Galaxy Note 1.
copy and paste fail - thanks for pointing out, thats been fixed
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@beetle84 wrote:
Define reasonable... @Kalak
Yes I agree, define reasonable?
For example, if someone was to ask how it performs when at the peak of Everest, or how it fairs after a 300ft drop onto concrete, then I would not answer those.
Common sense. However this is the internet, so if I was to have put any and all questions, then there would be someone (likely you Jeff) who would take it too far
Now I would never do that, BUT, I am looking forward to the underwater shots or the selfies in the shower when you test the waterproofing of the phone....
So its been almost 24hrs since I first recieved the device... Its only early days and im still getting my head around the Android world, but im slowely getting there.
I thought I would just quickly jot down some initial thoughts of the device.. Once I have a few days I will then start making detailed comparisons of Camera etc..
Here is my disclaimer... I am an Apple Fanboy.. No doubt.. Its not just a follow the leader thing.. I spent a good 15 years as a Microsoft person.. I got to a point where I was fed up with the constant repairs, and support for those computers.. So I switched to Mac and it all went from there.. So this is my first Non iPhone since the first one was released here. In saying all of that however, I am open minded.. I do appreciate a good quality product regardless of brand. So for these future discussions, lets look at it that Im an apple fan looking for a reason to change to something new.
This may be a bit of a timeline of my thoughts but probably the best way at this point to give my opinion.
- Packaging: Yes we throw it away in the end, and yes, Kat had already played with it before I got my hands on it, but you really see from the outset how far behind these other manufacturers are against Apple. With an iPhone, the packaging is firm, its solid, the box is nearly always in a perfect shape. The Sony.. It just felt cheap.. The box was starting to stretch, there was no excitement about opening the box. And when I got inside it was packaging.. nothing clever..
Hardware: There is no doubting that this phone is pretty sexy. It feels solid. Its nice to hold. Coming from an iPhone 5 its very different to hold naturally.. trying to find the centre point of weight is different.. That place where you can rest your phone and type without needing to actually hold it. Im constantly concerned im going to drop it but thats life with a bigger phone I guess.
Inserting the Sim Card was dissapointing. Once you find out where the tray is on an iPhone, its pretty simple.. But on the Sony i was concerned I was about to break it.. Sticking something into the phone to then try and hook the tray to pull it out was all a bit concerning for me.
The Software: There is no doubting with the Android software, there are so many potentials for greatness. You can do a lot more background activity work and still have a good idea of whats going on. And there is also no doubting this phone comes stacked with Software for you to achieve your goals. But this is I believe Androids biggest fall down. There is SO MUCH software on it. And multiple things to do the same thing. Why?? This is what I believe really sets iOS aside from the start.. It comes with the basics, and then as your knowledge and needs expand, then you can expand through the app store. But with Android... its basically here is everything.. now go learn it.. For me, who without blowing my own trumpet, generally knows whats going on, even this blew my mind and gave me a headache. Giving this to someone who wasnt all that Savy, I think would make them hate their phone, and make them question there own intelligence. Its way too much too soon! Just to note I switched to the Google now Launcher over Sony's. It just made things a bit simpler to start with and also gave me "Ok Google" features.
Water Proofing: No doubting its a cool and sometimes handy feature. I took it n the shower last night.. I will admit to that.. thinking it would be handy to skip songs.. How quickly i learnt this wasnt as easy as I had thought.. You see the phone sees water droplets as finger presses. So all hell broke loose when the water starting hitting the screen! Turning teh screen off fixed that issue, so I could still have the music playing.. but yeah.. my suggestion is probably not attempt to text people in the shower! In the pool will hopefully be a different situation as Im expecting the full body of water to have a different effect.. Just waiting on a warm day to try that out but!
I still have a lot to play with and discuss.. I did try out the PS4 remote play.. I will hold judgement on that for a bit.. I was struggling with WIfi last night so Im going to try and tinker that before I comment again.
If yo have any questions or requests let me know and I will give them a crack for you.
Thanks for the great start @Annirowe !
Interesting that you weren't too impressed with all the software that came with the phone - I actually really liked that aspect as I felt like it took the thinking out of setting up. I guess it depends how lazy/skilled you are in personalising your apps.
Looking forward to seeing some snaps - have you played with the camera yet?
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How doors it feel in the hand? NIce... Like I said getting used to a bigger device, but the weight is about right.
How does it take action shots (eg sorts)? Havent really got into the camera yet.. The tests i did last night were low light and werent the best.. but I willcome back to later.
What is the battery life like in real world use? Fully charged at 6am, now at 72%
How is the signal quality cbd vs country? Im in the suburbs of Melbourne.. My house sits in a weird pocket.. My iphone only has 1 - 2 bars.. Same for this phone.
What bloat ware is pre installed and how much of the internal memory is leftover for the user?I think I saw about 9GB yesterday before I started playing around... There is Sony's Launcher.. Then their walkman app, Navigon Navigator, AVG, Kobo, Officesuite, plus a few other sony software packages..
Well I hope Telstra wasn't hoping for a positive review when they gave you the phone haha.
I have a challenge for your next review: try starting a paragraph without the words "No doubting". No doubting you will struggle
I only received my device this morning, so these are my first impressions and over the next few weeks I'll be back with more in-depth answers to questions.
I should also start by saying that for a number of year I've been in the iOS ecosystem. I have been using a Windows Phone 8 device for the past couple of weeks to get an idea of the other major OS as well.
As has already been stated, the box does feel a little bit flimsy, but in the end you want to get the device out and start playing with it more than admiring the packaging it comes in.
Box Outside:
The Z3 includes more pamhplets than any other phone I've ever owned:
It comes with a charger, cable, headphones and a USB to Micro-USB adaptor, the pamphlets and a postage paid bag to recycle your old phone.
The charging port is on the left hand side behind a flap, the same side as the magnetic charging connector. It's easy to get to but personally I find side-mounted charging ports to be less comfortable if you happen to be using the phone while it's on charge.
I put the phone on charge and headed down to my local Telstra store to perform a SIM swap onto a Nano SIM. The plastic SIM tray doesn't hold the SIM tightly and you have to turn the phone upside down to orientate it correctly to insert the tray. This took me a few goes because the SIM kept popping out as I tried to insert the tray and jamming. Make sure you have someone with nails nearby to help.
I have read people on the internet complaining that the water/dust covers over the various ports stick out of the side of the handset. I can say that this isn't the case with mine. The power/wake button, volume rocker and hardware camera button (needed for underwater shooting) do, by necessity, stick out a small amount though on the right-hand side.
The phone comes with 16GB of overall storage, and out of the box you have around 10GB of that free.
As for bloatware, it does come with over 60 apps already installed on the device! A lot of these appear to be Sony specific apps, such as their own Walkman music app. Some are Google apps, others are Sony apps. The downside to this being you have to use both Google Play and the Experia Update Centre to keep your apps up-to-date.
Some of the pre-loaded app highlights for me are:
I had no issues transferring my contacts onto the phone. I was able to back them up from my iPhone to Google/GMAIL and download them to my phone with minimal fuss, and with the link to Facebook it can also download all your Facebook contacts.
I then cleared out the various homescreens and began downloading apps that are important to me: Clash of Clans, Facebook/Messenger, Viber, Spotify, Telstra 24x7, Skype, Banking and Government apps, and various games. The Telstra billing option (as a prepaid customer) is a great boon as I am now able to get double value from my recharge. As a mobile service, and also to purchase content via the Z3, though this isn't specific to this device.
I think it's safe to say that I'm addicted to widgets! I have Hangouts, Facebook, TrackID, Spotify, Telstra 24x7, and Weather already and I am loving it. I never really understood what I was missing until now. Having access to information and app controls without even having to change into an app is fantastic and something that iOS is lacking even to this day.
So far all the apps have been snappy in their responsiveness and there doesn't appear to be any lag when changing between screens in the OS itself. I am enjoying how things are made simple, for example when a message comes through on Viber it pops up over what I was doing, where I am able to type and send a response without ever changing away from what I was doing.
I live in central QLD, and even though my iPhone would have no issues obtaining 3 bars+ of signal, the Z3 has been sitting at 1 bar all day. I am lucky enough that we have access to 4G at home, however I think the overall signal strength may be impacting the data throughput.
I'll perform some more tests during the review period in various locations.
I know there are a lot of questions surrounding battery life and the camera. I'm going to give it a few cycles before I really comment on the battery life, especially as day one has a lot more usage than normal. With regards to the camera, I am going to be heading out tomorrow and I'll take a variety of shots with both this and my old iPhone 5 to compare.
Hi there Aegnor...
In response to the camera, The dedicated Camera button is a really handy feature.. Having kids myself we know there is only a split second before you miss the opportunity. As long as you know the orientation of the phone in your pocket (which can be hard as the front and back feel almost exactly the same), then you can already be holding the button down as you whip the phone out of your pocket, and it will be ready to shoot. It takes about 1 - 2 seconds from the moment you hold the button to teh time the phone is awake and ready to capture.
As for the water proofing, As I said earlier, Yes its waterproof, and I will try it in the pool hopefully over the weekend, but in the shower I had issues as the screen associated water droplets as finger presses.
That's to be expected from a capacitive touchscreen, because without special treatment, it cannot tell the difference between water and your finger as both conducts electricty. That is why sony includes a physical shutter button that allows you to capture footage under water. What I'd like to see is some night time shots, because the Z3 has such a high megapixel count, which means the pixels are very dense, thus limiting the size of each indivudual pixel. With good lighting during the day it works a charm, but the smaller pixels may result bad night time shots.
@bill0014 here you go... Just one shot I took.. It was of the Xmas Tree last night.. So it was probably a bit of a struggle (low light, bright lights) but you can definately see the noise in the darker areas.
As for the screen in water.. A physical button is fine, but the water still activates onscreen functions when the water touches.. You cant turn off the screen as you have no physical viewfinder. So the shutter button gets activated.. it switches apps etc etc..
Again let me try it fully submerged.. maybe then the screen will disable because it senses full water contact.
thats right. If the screen is completely submerged then the touchscreen will not respond at all, no "ghost touches" if you will. So if you leave the phone in the viewfinder then it should stay there and you can use the physical shutter button and shoot under water. btw, what is the ISO setting and the shutter speed for the shot? maybe 1600 at 1/4 of a second?
As it turns out the only way to completely lock the screen under water is to hold the shutter button down half way as if focussing, before submerging.. If your not doing that then the moment the water touches the screen it potentially starts taking photos, changing settings, even opening Notifications.
Also @bill0014 the image details were as follows: ISO: 1600, f/2.0 Exposure 1/8
Here is one pic from my crazy son underwater
ah, I see. It seems underwater photography still isn't quite there yet. this is a more broad and i guess subjective question, what is your opinion/thoughts on Sony's strategy of releasing flagship phones? Their current cycle is 6 months, meaning that every 6 month a new flagship is announced. The Z3 is marginally better than the Z2 released earlier this year,, would you recommend others to look at a z2 to save money or spend a bit more and get the z3?
I can certainly confirm that the screen goes a little bit haywire with the smallest droplets of water. One thing that would be great would be a 'water' mode where it disabled the touch screen for a set period of time, allowing only shutter control via the dedicated button.
On the screen. Quite frankly it's beautiful. There have been some comments regarding it having a lower resolution than other phones being released at the moment, however you don't notice. I feel the screen is just as good to look at as my iPhone5 Retina display. Colours are bright and vivid and it really is a pleasure to look at and use in this regard. It also works reasonably well outdoors without any brightness adjustment for me, though I've yet to find a phone which seems to respond to light changes as well as the iPhone.
Now onto how it feels in the hand. For me, it is a little big and certainly not a one hand device. You do lose a small amount of the quoted screen size to the Android virtual buttons in some cases, however with apps and games that go fullscreen it has a 'drag from the top' to overlay the buttons so you don't always lose that screen real-estate.
The biggest downside is that the glass appears to be coated with some magically enhanced version of teflon. I am forever catching this thing as it slides of seemingly flat surfaces. It turns any surface into an air hockey table! I'm wondering if the video that Tony Hawk did that had a fake hoverboard in fact had Z3's strapped to the underside! If you are going to buy this phone, get a cover of some sort or it will end in tears!
I've found multi-tasking on the Z3 to be fantastic. The dedicated button makes it quick and easy to switch between open apps, close them one at a time with a simple swipe, or close them all with a single push. I haven't found that it has to reload a lot when switching between apps like an iPhone will do if you go between more than 2 or 3 different apps, which can be a boon.
On it's bluetooth performance, it seems to be a little weird. My iPhone 5 paired quickly and easily with my Pioneer car stereo. The songs names etc and control work with an issue. With the Z3 it took me almost 15 minutes of mucking around just to get it to pair and the track details etc are never correct. There are times when I get in the car and it simply won't play through bluetooth, even though it assures me it's paired properly. I have to use the 'throw' feature of the phone to get it to send the music output to the head unit rather than through the built-in speakers.
Now onto the in-built speakers. During normal use they are quite good, especially when you consider they have to go through a waterproof membrane. Having them spaced apart at either end of the device, and front facing, is great. It gives a slightly wider soundscape and directs the sound to you rather than out of the bottom of the device. If however you are planning on listening to music in the shower, be aware that the tiniest amount of water causes the speakers to instantly drop in volume and you'll be there trying to blow out the water droplets from the speaker ports.
@bill0014- with regards to whether someone should just get a Z2 instead, unfortunately I have never used a Z2, nor really an Android device before the Z3. That being said I will be putting my iPhone5 on eBay shortly. With the Z3 being able to be picked up on a plan, or for around $660 outright I think it's a great purchase and people wouldn't be disappointed.
Onto battery life. After a full day of use which would see my iPhone throwing up 10% battery warnings, I'm seeing around 50% on the Z3. So it's certainly a significant increase in battery life, however I think it would be dangerous to try and get two full days use out of it. I think it's still a charge every night at home situation, however you can know that if you are at work during the day and heading for a long night out after, that the Z3 won't have you hunting for apower socket.
I have to laugh at @Kalak in reference to his teflon coated screen comment!
There is seriously no kidding when he talks about the hoverboard.. It really has you thinking that the phone is elevated microns above the desk surface!
My mouse has more friction than this phone does!
On my Z2 there is a "water" mode of sorts.
When you press the soft button that opens the current open applications there is what Sony calls "Small Apps" below the close all button. You can pre-configure these to be different apps such as timers, calculator etc. There is also one called "Touch Block", I would assume this would be on the Z3 as well as the Z2.
This gives you the option to lock the screen from being touched whilst still being on, the warning it gives you the following warning before the first use it even refers to using it in instances when the screen may get wet:-
hey @Annirowe and @Kalak a question from our Twitter community for you:
don't you find it a bit too big to be practical?
Putting my 10cents in, I did find it big as I'm used to a smaller phone. I would opt for the compact if I was going to commit to buying a Z3.
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@Aegnor With regards to the music player, I tried the walkman app but I wasnt a fan.. I switched to Google Play and have been using that since. I liked the fact I could easily upload my itunes library to Google to stream on the phone (something that I do with iTunes in the cloud). Its not as efficent in my view as the Music app on the iPhone but its probably just something im used to. As for Sony bringing "World Class Features".. My opinion is I need an app that can play music... As quickly and efficently as possible.. The more overheads the more messy it gets.
I still find it hard to accept the Android interface.. I want to.. I honestly am trying to stay non judgemental .. But im finding it extremely difficult.. There may be a lot of features, and some which are pretty cool and handy.. But trying to get to them easily or intuitivly.. I would say no.. And its Android greatest failure.. Trying to pack too many features into it..
Maybe Android 5.0 will be a lot cleaner, but right now its not working for me..
Im actually finding myself using the phone less than I did with my iPhone... Partly because not quite all my apps are on this, but mainly because its more effort on Android..
In my opinion of course!
In response to the Twitter question.. Its definately different.. If you thought you stressed about dropping your phone before.. get ready for a whole new level of Drop Stress.... The issue with this phone is not only finding the right spot to balance the phone, but also trying to deal with how slippery this phone is! If your going to buy this phone.. grab yourself a rubber backed cover to create some friction.
Will I switch back to iPhone? Definately.. This isnt to say Sony has made a bad handset... Quite the opposite actually.. Apart for how slippery it is, I feel its quite good quality.. Its nice to look at.. Its a nice size.. But that software just isnt the quality I expect and that Im used to.
Over the next couple of days I will test the Sony off against the iPhone 6+ including camera quality. We will see how they stack up!
Hey @beetle84 I chose them for their community contribution and enthusiasm. Are you an android or apple man?
@Kalak and @Annirowe , loving your thoughts so far. would love to see some pics on your z3 and your usual phones to compare and contrast.
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If you scroll up you'll see some quite in-depth posts by myself. As I am heading away for a family holiday tomorrow the past few days have been filled with finishing up work tasks, packing and confirming bookings. Unfortunately I haven't really had a spare moment to myself. Once I arrive tomorrow though I'll put up more thoughts, and pictures.
If you have a specific question, then please feel free to ask it and I'll do my best to answer it.
Some posts that may interest you:
With regards to comments by @Annirowe I do have to agree with some of them. Android isn't as intuitive as iOS. Settings for apps, and the OS itself can be difficult to track down. It's also more difficult to uninstall apps for example, coming from Long-Press, X in iOS.
With direct debit there's no need to give paying your bill another thought.
Avoid queuing up and never worry about late fees again.Setup direct debit


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Oberyn was ever the viper. Deadly, dangerous, unpredictable. No man dared tread on him. – Doran Martell
All praise the name of Oberyn of the House Martell, Prince of Dorne, the Red Viper and father to the Sand Snakes! Come join us for a celebration like no other in the Seven Kingdoms, as we bring the Prince's body home to Dorne. Lay our sweet Prince to rest with us, then feast on the best that Dorne has to offer.
Inspired by A Song Of Ice And Fire, the high fantasy epic by George R. R. Martin, our latest dinner will begin with a solemn ceremony to commemorate the life and death of Oberyn Martell. This will be followed by a lavish tasting menu inspired by the cuisine of Dorne and the history of House Martell. Seats are limited to a party of 50, and here's what's on the menu.
Dinner consists of a 6-course tasting menu, served communal style. The pictures below depict sharing plates for four. If you do not want to share and prefer individual plating, let us know.
Bastards of Dorne
Rye bread with hummus and olives
Murder Most Fowl
Pan-seared, oven baked duck breast in smoked paprika with lemons and cherry tomatoes
The Wrath of the Sand Snakes
Flat iron steak with beet jus
Dragon Eggs Hatching
Potato salad with avruga, salmoe roe and hard boiled quail egg
Dornish Love – Two Ways
Braised chicken breast, cooked two ways
Sweet, Cold Revenge
Baked apples with raspberries and whipped cream
[toggle title="Date and Time"]Apr 25, 2014 (Saturday) , 7pm [/toggle] [toggle title="Address"] Restaurant SELA | 32 Seah St, Singapore 188388 Nearest MRT: City Hall/ Bugis Station [/toggle] [toggle title="Ticket price"] Prices start from $95 nett for dinner, or $120 nett for dinner and two glasses of wine*. (booking fees not included) [/toggle]
[toggle title="What is a Requiem?"]A Requiem, pronounced asˈre-kwē-əm is a) a Mass for the repose of the souls of the dead or b) a musical composition setting parts of a requiem Mass or c) an act or token of rememberance. Devotees of Oberyn Martell can therefore pay their last respects and finally gain closure.[/toggle][toggle title="How is this a Game of Thrones-inspired dinner?"]In the GOT books, there are rich, detailed descriptions of the different cuisines from the Seven Kingdoms. In this dinner, the dishes are either inspired by specific lines from the books or from the history of House Martell.[/toggle][toggle title="Why are you serving the food communal style?"] Because Oberyn did everything communal style. ;p [/toggle][toggle title="Do I need to be a Game of Thrones fanatic to attend this dinner? I don't know much about the show or the books."]You don't need to be a GOT fanatic – you just need to appreciate good food, and a good conversation over a nice meal. [/toggle] [toggle title="Must I dress up?"]You don't have, but if you feel a burning desire to turn up as one of the sand snakes or even (gasp!) the Mountain, we certainly won't stop you![/toggle] [toggle title="Is Oberyn Martell my father?"] Well, Bastards are born of passion and our prince is a passionate man. Your queue number is 129. [/toggle] [toggle title="I'm coming as the mother of dragons, can I bring my dragons?"]Of course. Restaurant Sela is a dragon friendly restaurant. Torching of food is allowed. [/toggle] [toggle title="What happened at your last Dinner is Coming events?"] So much fun! check out what happened at our Welcome to King's Landing and Panem Forever events. [/toggle] [toggle title="Is your event affiliated to HBO?"] Dinner Is Coming is an event organized by fans for fans, and is in no way affiliated with HBO or George R.R Martin. [/toggle] [toggle title="What are your upcoming Dinner is Coming events?"] We created our Dinner is Coming series of pop-culture events to connect fans, fandoms and food. Connect with us, and a raven will be sent to inform you of our upcoming events.
Geek Crusade covers the latest news, spoilers and happenings from popular TV series such as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones.


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Politicians and lay people alike both talk and argue about the effects of the environment on Americans. Clean air and clean living have become trendy issues in the past decade. Green homes, recycling, and hybrid cars are just a few of the ways that people can help make our air a little bit cleaner. With harsh effects of polluted air such asthma and other respiratory problems, it is now more important than ever to protect yourself against the dangerous effects of polluted air. One organization, the Clean Air Task Force, is doing just that.
The Clean Air Task Force is based out of Boston and was formed in 1996. Their primary goal is outlined as such: "To enact federal policy to reduce the pollutants from America's coal-fired power plants that cause respiratory death and disease, smog, acid rain, and haze." This group of researchers, advocates, and private sector contributors are working towards getting the American people to truly understand the negative health effects that coal and diesel emissions have.
For example, diesel trucks can pose a serious health risk to pedestrians as it is emitted at ground level. As the CATF explained, "Diesel exhaust is comprised of microscopic carbon soot particles that act to absorb metals and other toxic substances in the exhaust. When inhaled by humans, these tiny, toxic-laden particles cross the blood barrier from lungs into the bloodstream, delivering the toxics to internal organs and leading to inflammation and cardiovascular and respiratory diseases…"
Diesel exhaust leads to approximately 400,000 asthma attacks a year. To get an idea of how much diesel exhaust is released by a local school bus, check out these videos. The first shows an ordinary school bus, while the second is fitted with a diesel filter.
The diesel filter makes a huge difference in the amount of emissions released into the air. The same goes for your indoor air quality. As the CATF has shown us, air pollution is a serious problem and has significant health effects on Americans today. If you are concerned about pollutants and allergens in your home, it is important to equip your home with the proper filters. It is paramount that you change your HVAC filter regularly, and a higher MERV rating, the better. These filters will help to remove particles and mold spores, keeping them out of the air you breathe.
Another way to protect the air you breathe inside your home is to use an air purifier. These will assist in the removal of bacteria and germs that are found in your home, protecting you and your family from sickness. While solving the world's pollution problems may be very far off, cleaning the air in your home is an inexpensive way for you and your family to stay healthy. While the CATF does their part, it is important that we do ours!


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Get the latest breaking Video news from India & today's India news updates. Keep yourself informed with all the current news headlines about salman khan only on UC Browser. M.ucweb.com brings latest Video news and top breaking news live from all the states and cities of India that are happening.
UC Browser is the definitive source of updated and relevant news concerning Video and all the affairs related to salman khan.Follow the latest and live news in India on UC Browser. Stay updated on Video and the world with latest & breaking news on a daily basis. You can get the latest Video news on the go with UC Browser app.The app brings you the the fastest news on the go along with latest news stories, videos and photos about salman khan. Get upto-the-minute breaking news alerts and exclusive interviews and in-depth coverage on your device.


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This is officially my "back to fall" outfit and had I been going back to school again this fall, it probably would've been my "back to school" look! Mustard, army green, a little bit of lace, an infinity scarf, and boots... really, it's my ideal fall look, and with the crisp weather these days, these wardrobe pieces are becoming essentials! And to make this fall post really awesome, I dragged Caleb into some photos to show off his "fall" outfit (which I obviously picked out for him... *wink*).
But really, who doesn't love a boy in plaid?
But really, who doesn't love a boy in plaid?
my outfit... mustard jacket: anthropologie // lace shirt: anthropologie //
army green pants: garage // boots: spring // earrings: spring
his outfit... plaid shirt: joe fresh // jeans: winners
& many thanks to the lovely Kirsten Buyer for taking these photos for me! Check out her photography here and give her some love, she's so talented and wonderful :)
p.s. ♥ clara


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Is Cody Simpson Working With 5 Seconds of Summer? [PHOTO]by Mandi Salerno | PopCrush
This has truly been the summer of incredible collaborations. Just when we thought our hearts were already fit to explode from exciting partnerships, Cody Simpson shared a photo of himself in a studio with 5 Seconds of Summer's Ashton Irwin. Oh. Em. Gee.
We're not sure what the Aussies are doing together, but they must be up to something! In the pic they're settled behind their instruments and breaking out their rock star poses. There's an acoustic guitar and hang loose hand for Cody, and a piano and rock on hand for Ashton. Cody captioned the pic: "Mixin different styles with my mate #surfrock."
Surf rock? We're not entirely sure what that would sound like, or what a Simpson-5SOS collab would sound like, but we're already totally here for it.
While waiting for more details on what they might be working on, we can set our sights on the possible acoustic album Cody recently recorded with Justin Bieber. There's also little to nothing publicly known about what they've dubbed their "special project," but again, we are already dying to get our hands on it.
See Cody Simpson, Justin Bieber + More Male Celebs Shirtless


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Knit Glitch Blankets Just Arrived
I'm very excited to announce that a fresh batch of all new machine knit Glitch Blankets for the Glitch Textiles project just arrived! I've developed a dozen new designs and am in the process of photographing them all. For the time being, enjoy the slideshow featuring photos of a handful of the new blanket designs offered as Kickstarter rewards (link).
These will become available for purchase starting November 1, 2012. Stay Tuned!


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BATON ROUGE – On Thursday, June 19, Gov. Bobby Jindal joined leaders from higher education systems across Louisiana to sign HB 1033 by Speaker Chuck Kleckley to create a new higher education workforce incentive initiative and increase higher education funding by dedicating $40 million to better prepare Louisiana students to compete in the new global economy. The new incentive fund will be called the Workforce and Innovation for a Stronger Economy Fund – or WISE Fund. The legislation is included in the governor's 2014 Legislative Package.
Jindal also highlighted an increase of more than $148 million for higher education that was included in the FY15 budget, a 6.91 percent increase from last year. This total includes WISE and $6.5 million in additional system operational support for Southern and Grambling.
The money in the WISE fund will be made available to state research institutions that produce nationally recognized commercial research and to state colleges and universities that partner with private industry to produce graduates with high-demand degrees and certificates, and enable them to link their coursework to industry needs and projected workforce demands.
Jindal said, "I am honored to sign this bill, which allows us to invest further in higher education and prepare our students for the jobs of tomorrow. Our higher education institutions have already done an incredible job over the past six years instituting a number of reforms to help more of our students graduate. These results are a testament to the incredible work of our faculty and students at schools across Louisiana.
"The reforms are working, but it's time expand on our efforts – and we are doing that with this bill today. We are in the midst of an economic renaissance in Louisiana. Since 2008, we have announced economic development wins that are resulting in more than 80,000 new jobs and more than $50 billion in private capital investment. Because of these job wins, more people are employed than ever before in Louisiana.
"Tens of thousands of jobs are now in the pipeline that must be filled, and our next challenge is to ensure we have the skilled workforce to fill these jobs of the future. Economists have recently said they have never seen an industrial expansion like the one under way in Louisiana, but have also warned that we must do a better job training skilled workers that will be needed to fill the demand for jobs at the major industrial and high tech projects coming to Louisiana. That's why our top priority is making sure we have the resources to prepare our students and train them for the jobs of the future."
The governor said he sat down with higher education leaders before the legislative session to discuss the thousands of jobs being brought to Louisiana, and the leaders came up with the idea for a workforce incentive fund. The program will reinvest new dollars to make sure that Louisiana has the qualified workforce to take these jobs, and it will strengthen the critical linkage between college coursework and employment needs in Louisiana.
LSU President & Chancellor F. King Alexander said, "Signing the WISE Bill into law represents more than just historic cooperation between state government, industry leaders, and higher education officials. It represents opportunity … the opportunity for our state to keep its talented young people and for our students to have a job waiting for them when they graduate. Furthermore, it represents the opportunity for a better future for all Louisianans through a healthier and more varied economy. We are all grateful for the support of our Governor and state legislators — support that allows us to continue our mission of providing solutions to the problems facing our state."
President of the Southern University System Dr. Ron Mason said, "Southern University looks forward to working with our partners to deliver graduates ready to strengthen Louisiana's ever-changing workforce. Higher education and industry working together bodes well for the future of our State."
University of Louisiana System President Sandra K. Woodley said, "Today's signing of the WISE bill demonstrates an uncommon act of unity among leaders in this state who worked collaboratively to create a visionary strategy that will connect higher education to the emerging needs of Louisiana's new economy. We applaud the Governor and our legislative leaders for investing in this very important work."
"With our state's economy flourishing, workforce demands have never been more prevalent," said Monty Sullivan, president of Louisiana's Community and Technical Colleges. "Through the WISE Fund, Governor Jindal and the Legislature have made a significant investment in the people of Louisiana. Today's signing marks the beginning of a targeted investment strategy to grow the workforce of tomorrow. Louisiana's community and technical colleges have already begun targeting resources toward and increasing productivity in high demand occupation program areas."
"The Board of Regents is proud of the unanimous passage of the WISE Fund this past legislative session and today, the higher education community is elated to stand with the Governor on the signing of this bill into law," said Regents Chairman, W. Clinton Rasberry. "This work has been a catalyst in bringing together higher education and business and industry leaders to address the human capital needs of this state, and the Board of Regents remains committed to the coordination and oversight of the WISE Fund. At no time in history has workforce development been more important, and the WISE Fund will be a solid foundation for our institutions to build upon. It is through education and sound policy, as exemplified in the WISE Fund, that we will meet the workforce demands, and achieve unprecedented economic growth - building a stronger Louisiana for all."
The WISE Fund will allocate funding through a performance-based formula that rewards and incentivizes the degrees that occupational forecasting and industry have shown are the most employable and the most in demand. To receive these funds, institutions will have to partner with private industry by recruiting at least a 20 percent private match in cash or in kind, such as technology and equipment.
Each institution will present a business plan that will demonstrate how the funds will be invested to reach the number of degrees we need as a state to fill the jobs we have now and in the next few years. And every year, each institution will be held accountable for reaching their goals to produce those degrees. Using data-driven predictive modeling with actual numbers from business and industry, experts were able to figure out how to predict how many and what level of degrees needed to meet workforce demands.
Jindal said this collaboration between Louisiana Economic Development (LED), the Louisiana Workforce Commission, and the leaders of higher education has created a targeted investment strategy that spends dollars on the degrees needed to for the jobs coming to Louisiana.
These partnerships are already in the work at Louisiana's colleges and universities. IBM has entered into a partnership with the LSU School of Engineering. As part of IBM's project in downtown Baton Rouge, LSU committed to triple its computer science graduates in five years, which will place the LSU Computer Science program in the top 10-15 nationally for the number of B.S. degrees in computer science awarded nationally. The College will also expand its computer science programs and curriculum innovation, as LSU students will benefit from internship opportunities and more jobs upon graduation, keeping the best and brightest in the state.
In the UL System, LED recently partnered with UNO and GE Capital for the creation of the GE Capital's Software Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SWEAP). By the end of 2015, GE Capital plans to hire 40 UNO students enrolled in the computer science program in apprentice positions. SWEAP provides students at UNO with specialized training, experience and mentorship opportunities which will set them apart from other graduates.
Bossier Parish Community College recently received a $750,000 investment from EnCana Oil & Gas and Shell E&P to create an Oil & Gas Production Technology program. In New Orleans, Delgado partnered with 45 regional manufacturing and construction firms such as Laitram, Cornerstone, Shell, and Bollinger, in addition to UNO, Southeastern, and Nicholls, to produce 1,500 qualified graduates over four years for the booming manufacturing sector.
Southern University recently partnered with Genesis Energy to create a $100,000 scholarship fund, invest $25,000 in Southern's Civil and Engineering labs, and help Southern ensure its curricula were aligned with the workforce needs of Genesis, among other things.
Ernie Ballard
LSU Media Relations
Posted on Thursday, June 19, 2014