Kate has been hanging out w/ Thad - seriously

[smupony94]

Mustangs bask in hopes realized, good times on Hawaii

12:35 AM CST on Tuesday, December 22, 2009

By KATE HAIROPOULOS / The Dallas Morning News
[email protected]

HONOLULU – Here's betting freshman linebacker Taylor Reed owns the best available behind-the-scenes footage of SMU's first bowl trip in a quarter century.
Colleges

Reed keeps his hand-held video camera running often. He even provided some play-by-play as he and the Mustangs left the poignant USS Arizona Memorial at Pearl Harbor on Sunday afternoon.

For posterity's sake, hopefully he also captured a handful of his teammates – all wearing loud, bowl-issued Hawaiian shirts and purple leis around their necks – attempting the hula later that night at the beachside luau at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel.

Players such as receiver Emmanuel Sanders, running back Shawnbrey McNeal and linebacker Youri Yenga, along with members of the Nevada Wolf Pack, enthusiastically attempted to wiggle their hips on stage. "Grind your coffee," the master of ceremonies bellowed into his microphone.

As the Sheraton Hawaii Bowl – their first bowl since 1984 – nears on Thursday, the Mustangs and coach June Jones, a figure of much interest here, are first taking time to live it up this week in Hawaii.

"That was fun, man," said Sanders, who graduated last weekend, of the hula. "This is my first bowl game and my last bowl game. I'm just taking it in every step of the way."

Long-planned trip

Part of this trip was also about letting emotions out.

Jones sought a release of sorts by taking the Mustangs on the traditional tour of Pearl Harbor.

As Jones reminded the gathered SMU players and supporters, he and late special teams coach Frank Gansz had dreamed of this very moment.

Gansz, a Naval Academy graduate and one of Jones' closest friends, used to walk together on the Katy Trail after SMU practices almost daily. Last spring, they talked of Conference USA renewing its agreement with the Hawaii Bowl and taking the Mustangs to the islands, and to Pearl Harbor.

Two weeks later, in April, Gansz, 70, died of complications after knee replacement surgery.

Since then, Jones has told the Mustangs to shoot for the Hawaii Bowl, in part to live up to Gansz's Pearl Harbor wish.

Sunday, the players milled about the pristine white memorial, marveling at the oil that can still be seen in the water amid the wreckage, dropping single flower petals in respect, as is tradition.

Was it the emotional release Jones, who milled about quietly, expected?

"For me, it was," Jones said.

"He's talked about that from the beginning," senior linebacker Chase Kennemer said. "So to finally do it was a cool experience."

'It's Coach'

Kennemer and the other Mustangs have noticed the locals' reaction to their coach, who became a beloved celebrity here when he led the Hawaii Warriors for nine seasons, capping his tenure with a trip to a BCS bowl.

"Everywhere we go – everyone knows Coach Jones," Kennemer said.

Two cashiers at the Pearl Harbor gift shop noticed Jones. "It's Coach," one muttered quickly to the other, whose mouth promptly fell open.

But Jones also disappointed many Hawaiians when he left after the 2007 season to make over SMU and earn a $2 million annual salary. One Honolulu newspaper columnist asked this week, "Will Jones' return rekindle aloha?"

Jones said he's not sure what response he expects as he coaches on the same Aloha Stadium sideline where spent so many games, though he's hopeful it will be positive.

"I don't know," Jones said. "I think they'll be probably equally divided, but hopefully we'll have a few more on our sideline."

"This is good story stuff for you guys," Nevada coach Chris Ault said to assembled reporters. "He's brought some great opportunities for them [SMU], as he did at Hawaii."

Forget sleep

While Jones' Hawaiian homecoming is hot stuff here, the players are focused more on the reward that no SMU player has experienced for so long. There was a beach barbeque with torches ablaze where safety Chris Banjo felt like he was in a movie. There receivers coach Jeff Reinebold showed off his paddle surfing skills early in the morning and the players chilled in the team hotel's infinity pool that overlooks the ocean.

While SMU is also practicing each morning and soon will button down for the game, the Mustangs certainly came to Hawaii with the intention of relishing the trip.

"This is the last time I'm going to get to spend time with my teammates," Sanders said. "I started noticing that more and more. [Sunday] night, I was like, 'Man I don't even want to go to sleep. Let's go have fun.' ... I'm trying to get some memories while I'm here."

[smupony94]

He also promised me a picture of him with her if he can get away from her photographer/bodyguard

[expony18]

he's lying to you

[smupony94]

Nobody has ever lied to me

[expony18]

example #1

for what it is worth, smupony94 is the best and most creative poster here

Panhandle_pony 11/9/09

[smupony94]

example #1

for what it is worth, smupony94 is the best and most creative poster here

Panhandle_pony 11/9/09

Truthiness

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Is she "making a movie" with Thad?

[smupony94]

Is she "making a movie" with Thad?

He said her photographer is [deleted] blocking her. Did say a hot Vancouver chick hit on him at a beach bar.

[EastStang]

Where are the hotties in thongs? I'm here in DC freezing my tail off looking at 3 foot piles of snow.

[smupony94]

[that's great raplh]

yikes

[peruna81]

smupony94,

I think I died a little by seeing that photo...

if that is what Hawaii is now like, I'm glad I stayed in Texas this week...

[Stallion]

Not True! I just saw Thad and he was following the Cheerleaders not Kate

[Peruna_Ate_My_Rolex]

Is she "making a movie" with Thad?

He said her photographer is [deleted] blocking her. Did say a hot Vancouver chick hit on him at a beach bar.

Clearly, she was beer goggling.

[smupony94]

Is she "making a movie" with Thad?

He said her photographer is [deleted] blocking her. Did say a hot Vancouver chick hit on him at a beach bar.

Clearly, she was beer goggling.

That is the best kind