The grind continued. It became part of who we were, the air we breathed, and the heartbeat of our everyday lives. The camera rolled, capturing everything, from the blistering runs at dawn to the sweaty drills after school. Each upload felt like it was slowly building something bigger, though we had no idea how big yet. We just knew we had to keep pushing.
The Moment of Clarity
It was a Tuesday when it happened.
After a solid two-mile run, I collapsed onto the grass, gasping for air. Kyle was already doing sit-ups, his abs defined as ever, while KJ was downing a bottle of water, looking like he could run another mile easily. I was dripping sweat and panting like I'd just sprinted a marathon.
"Come on, man," Kyle teased. "You gonna take a nap or get up?"
I rolled onto my back, staring up at the blue sky. "I'm just resting," I said, feeling the weight of my body. "Gotta make it count for tomorrow."
"You're really starting to sound like our dad now," KJ joked, but there was a hint of seriousness in his tone.
For once, I didn't feel bad about being the last to finish. Not when I could feel it. The change.
The small, subtle shift that told me everything was working. I was working.
I could already feel my legs getting stronger. My ball control was better than it had ever been. My passing was becoming sharper, and my confidence was growing by the day. But the real change was in my head.
Kareem, the Playmaker
It was on the field after school that I really started to see the difference. We were practicing passing, as usual, and I'd been throwing a few passes to KJ that he barely had to move for. His footwork was flawless as usual, the ball arriving at his feet right on time for him to finish. But today, I wanted to try something different.
Instead of waiting for KJ to make the move, I read the field ahead of time. I watched Kyle's positioning, and how KJ would shift as soon as the ball was passed. And then it clicked. I wasn't just playing— I was thinking.
As KJ started to run, I could see the opening in the defense. I made a quick decision, flicking the ball over the top of the defense, giving it just the right amount of curve. KJ didn't need to adjust—he was already there, and he smashed it into the net without breaking stride.
"That's what I'm talking about!" KJ shouted, his smile wide. "That was perfect!"
Kyle nodded, too. "You're starting to see the game before it happens."
I grinned. "I guess the brain's got to catch up to the feet."
But inside, I was feeling something more.
I wasn't just catching up anymore—I was getting ahead.
The First Video Milestone
The video that week was about our training routines and the improvements we were starting to notice. We showed off some of the drills we'd been perfecting, and I even pulled off a few tricks I'd been working on. The camera captured everything—the sweat, the frustrations, and the breakthroughs.
When the video was uploaded, we didn't expect much. A few views, maybe some comments. But when I checked the analytics the next morning, my stomach dropped.
"We hit a thousand views," I said, staring at the screen.
"Wait, what?" Kyle asked, leaning over my shoulder. "You serious?"
"I'm dead serious. A thousand views." I couldn't believe it. A thousand people had watched us. It wasn't just friends or family anymore. People we didn't know, people who didn't have to watch, had seen us put in the work.
"That's wild," KJ said, his voice full of a mix of disbelief and excitement.
The Unknown Faces
But the real surprise came the next day when we saw new faces at the field. A couple of older guys, college age, were sitting on the bleachers watching us.
"Who are they?" Kyle asked, glancing over his shoulder.
"I don't know," I said, narrowing my eyes. "But they're definitely watching."
The guys seemed to take note of our training—watching, making notes, occasionally muttering to each other. After a while, one of them jogged over, a little out of breath.
"You guys training for something?" he asked.
"We just like to train," KJ replied, his confidence evident in his voice.
The guy smiled. "Yeah, I figured. You guys are good. I've seen your YouTube channel."
My heart skipped a beat. "You have?"
"Yeah," he said, chuckling. "A thousand views in a week? That's no small thing. You guys got something. I'm just wondering if you know it yet."
His words hung in the air. He wasn't just talking about the training; he was talking about us. About our potential.
The Spark of Recognition
By the end of the week, we had a message. Not from some agent or scout yet, but from a local academy—a well-known one in the area, actually. They'd seen our video, and they wanted to meet. To talk about possibly working with us.
This was it. This was the first real sign that the grind was paying off.
But it wasn't just a sign for me. It was for all three of us. We were more than just brothers training together. We were starting to get noticed. The 3KB channel was beginning to show the world just what we were capable of.
That was when I realized something.
We weren't just building a brand, a YouTube channel, or a fanbase. We were building a future.
And it was starting to look brighter than I'd ever imagined.