Schwenke to UW Rumors Flying

Mars wrote:


From when he was 16: ""BYU is where my parents have always wanted me to go to school. I know I can play there and still have the standards and religious ideals I believe in. To me, it's a privilege and a blessing to get my first offer from BYU. BYU is my No. 1 school right now. It is a great school with a great football program... I can see myself going there. I think Coach Mendenhall is a great coach. BYU is at the top of my list right now.""



From his parents: "McKay Schwenke, a former rugby head coach at BYU-Hawaii, was struck by one particular paragraph in Kona’s official offer from head coach Bronco Mendenhall: “Kona, we have evaluated your character, intellect, honesty, spirituality, work ethic and athletic ability and have determined that Brigham Young University is where you deserve to be. I can tell you with conviction that BYU is the only place in the world where spiritual, academic, athletic and social needs can be met collectively and at a unique standard of excellence.” Kona’s father also noted, “When I read Kona’s letter, I was really excited for him. I was impressed how Bronco has referenced that football is his No. 4 priority at BYU. I agree and really like that order of priority... My wife, Angie, was blown away when she read Bronco’s letter tonight after work. She said it was a really powerful letter and she’s really excited for Kona.” Both McKay and wife Angie are graduates of BYU-Hawaii... “I was really excited when I read his official BYU scholarship offer letter. For me as a dad and with all the other college choices he will have, me and my wife’s top choice for him to play at is definitely BYU. Kona and I visited BYU during the summer of 2007 and Kona was still a freshman about to play his sophomore season. I was really impressed when Coach Mendenhall talked about the importance of other aspects besides football like religion, education and family. BYU is the one school we were really hoping Kona would get an offer from. The fact it is his first offer makes it even more special for us and Kona. I’m really proud and appreciative that Bronco and BYU have seen something in Kona already to have offered him as a junior. You want your kids to be surrounded by others with common beliefs and values. To us as parents, education is much more important than football and a BYU degree has a lot of credibility throughout the country. I also know players usually don’t last long in football because of injuries. Once football is over, your education takes over. Having a college degree from a great school like BYU is money in the bank. I believe their educational standards are second to none... I would rank Bronco Mendenhall as one of the top coaches in the country. He completely understands the other side of the equation and the importance of personal character development away from the football field. That’s more important than football for us as parents. His BYU record on and off the field over the past two-to-three years speaks for itself. From what I’ve heard, he’s a man of his word. He knows what he wants from his players and they know the consequences if they don’t adhere to the rules. As a parent... you work hard to make sure you prepare your children to showcase their god-given talents and abilities. Our hard work is starting to pay off. Hopefully, he will go on a [Mormon] mission and fulfill his spiritual calling and then come back and fulfill his football calling.”



Bronco and Kona are distant relatives: "Unbeknownst to Mendenhall, it seems that Kona’s grandfather, Sonny Wirihana [Angie’s dad], is married to Bronco Mendenhall’s first cousin, Janet Jensen, her previous married name. Both widowed, the two met as LDS Temple missionaries in the New Zealand Temple."



http://byu.scout.com/2/794423.html



Kona, after he committed: "“I feel great about my commitment... Now I can just focus on football and school. Coach Mendenhall said he is not going to try and convince me to come to BYU, but I have to convince myself that BYU is the place for me. I then told him I really want to be part of this vision, this team, and I gave him a firm verbal commitment. He said he was really happy to accept my commitment... I really love BYU... I think it’s a football program that’s heading in the right direction all the way to the top. [BYU] will help me focus on football, but also my academics and spirituality. With the [LDS] church environment, BYU has the values I grew up on. Plus, my best friend Jray Galea’i [2009 Cougar signee] has been telling me a lot of great things about BYU. He says BYU is the best place I would fit in, and I agree. I also know the coaches will help me to do my best in football and in the classroom.”" http://byu.scout.com/2/878546.html