(Adams 11) Michael soon learned that the varsity team would be calling up a JV player to the varsity team for the end of the season, which would include the state tournament. Michael as well as his best friend, Leroy Smith, felt for sure that it would be Michael that earned the varsity spot. Leroy, however was the player that was chosen, mainly because he stood six-foot five inches tall, towering a good six inches over Michael, and the team needed a big man. This was the second time in one season Michael had been disheartened and it was at this moment that he decided he would work harder than ever he would not be disappointed again. (Adams 13).
By the start of the next basketball season Michael had grown to six-foot three inches tall and now had achieved the height to match his spectacular talent. (Shoulder 14) He easily earned a position on the varsity team as a junior and even earned the starting role of point guard, a position that brings with it a tremendous amount of responsibility and leadership. During the fall of his junior year, Michael made his decision to quit his position as quarterback (another position that involves great leadership and responsibility) of the football team in order to concentrate on conditioning for basketball. "I was very eager to show everyone just what I could do,"" Michael stated in his book I'm Back.
The beginning of the season was a bit of a struggle for Michael. He was not aggressive enough at looking for shots and often made mistakes. (Beckett 26) Jordan refused to let up on himself however until he got it right. His coaches were all very impressed at how hard he worked. Although he was no longer a player on the junior varsity team, he continued to show up at their practices to run drills, sprints, and then continued to repeat the grueling workout again with the varsity team immediately afterward. Slowly Michael's confidence blossomed and his performances in his high school games showed it.
