DEVEION BICKHAM-MCALESTER

It’s a big year for McAlester junior DeVeion Bickham as he tries to make a name for himself in the football world. Last year he played sparingly but still had 336 yards receiving and four touchdowns. New Buffaloes football coach Jeff Craig says the talent is there for Bickham it just needs to come out this year. “DeVeion had a good off season and good camp events to get his name out there. I think he has the potential to excel but he and we as a coaching staff just need to find a way to bring it out so that he can be a dominant player for us as he adjusts to the changes we’ve made on off and defense.” DeVeion’s football career began a few miles away from McAlester. “My cousin Andyn was at Hartshorne, and I was in Haileyville, and he signed me up for little league and I’ve been playing ever since. Both have since moved to McAlester. He also has a cousin who played football that became a role model for the young wide receiver. “My cousin Malachi Wrice and I grew up together and I enjoyed watching him play and got to play with him for a year before he went to Washington State, so I look up to him,” said Bickham. “He’s speedy and very physical.” In addition to football, DeVeion also plays basketball and runs track, doing the long jump and high jump, where he has qualified for state the last two years. He played baseball from the third until the eighth grade when he moved and, after sitting out for a couple of years, plans to go back to the diamond this year. One game from last season stands out as highlight for DeVeion. “We played Tulsa East Central, and I had two touchdowns, nine receptions and about 100 yards and we scored 70 points in that game. DeVeion and his cousin Andyn are both on the football team and Bickham says the guy that got him started in football is a guy that can push his buttons on the practice field. “He’s a defensive lineman and he’ll get on me in team drills if he thinks I’m slacking off,” DeVeion laughed. Hanging out with Andyn is something DeVeion says he likes to do in his spare time-along with eating mac and cheese; his goal for the season is to eclipse the eight games that McAlester won last year.