SENIOR SPOTLIGHT: McAlester's Martin pulling double duty in senior year
Dec. 14—Bryson Martin knew transferring to a new school would be an adjustment, but he was ready for the challenge.
Now, the McAlester senior is embarking on his final high school year, and said he's enjoyed every minute of becoming a Buffalo.
"It was a lot easier than I thought it would be," he said.
Martin is a two-sport athlete, participating on both the basketball court and the baseball diamond. He said it's something he's always done, and has enjoyed every moment.
"I've just played it my whole life, along with baseball," he said. "I went to a small school before I came here, and kind of anybody and everybody kind of did the same thing."
While Martin said his shooting ability and pitching are the best parts of his game in each sport, he said his favorite part of playing ball is being on a team.
"Just being around the guys, having fun," Martin said. "I've been around it my whole life, so it's just kind of part of my life now."
Upon graduation, Martin will attend Cowley College in Arkansas City, Kansas, and play collegiate baseball. He said the goal is to make it to the professional level, but will also seek a degree in environmental safety as well.
But through every journey he has been through or will embark on in the future, Martin said it's all thanks to two special people in his life.
"Definitely my parents," he said. "Got me from place to place, and just the amount of time and money they've spent on me letting me do what I love."
And as he finishes his senior seasons and looks forward to continuing into college, Martin took some time to look back on his path to this point. He's excited about the opportunities ahead, but advised to generations of future Buffs about what it will take to carry on after he and his classmates graduate.
"Just work hard," Martin said. "Especially coming from a small school to a big school, you've definitely got to work hard and keep pushing through. Because there's going to be days where you're like 'man, I don't want to be here.' But you've got to get through that."
Contact Derek Hatridge at dhatridge@mcalesternews.com.
