S.M.U.

Hoynes catapults S.M.U. into the White House lobby's frenetic glow, naming it as the college crucible where roommate Drew Harper—the Olympic phenom—schooled him mercilessly on the basketball court. Guffaws cascade through reporters and cameramen as the self-mocking yarn polishes his Texas-honed accessibility, jersey aloft like a trophy amid coach congrats. S.M.U. stands unpeopled by faculty or quads, pure alma mater firepower fueling VP charm offensive—until Secret Service agents explode the scene, herding him into crisis shadows and underscoring its role as personal-history launchpad in political optics.