When I was in high school, there was another player on my team. He was one of the best players. (He's on the left in this pic below) So was I. Half the team thought he was better than me. The other half thought I was better than him. We weren't best friends. But we pushed each other every single day. If I backhanded a ground ball... He backhanded one. If I barehanded a ball... He did too. If I benched 225... He wanted 230. If he beat me... I wanted to beat him. We weren't trying to tear each other down. We were forcing each other to become better. Years later... He was drafted out of high school. I went to UCLA and eventually got drafted. Looking back, I realized something. Iron sharpens iron. Sometimes the greatest gift you can have isn't another coach. It's someone who's chasing the same dream as you. Someone who refuses to let you coast. Someone who raises your standard just by showing up. That's why I'm creating Iron Partners for the players I coach. I'll pair players together so they can challenge each other, encourage each other, and push each other to become the best version of themselves. Because competition doesn't always create enemies. Sometimes... It creates excellence. Thank you for reading. - Jermaine Curtis P.S. - if you enjoyed this, share it. (It tells me you want more content like this)