There were already signs that Michael Jordan had a good deal of talent. His classmate and close friend, Harvest Smith, who played basketball with him practically every day, thought he was the best player on their ninth-grade team. "He was small, but he was very quick," Smith said. "The only question was how big he was going to be."
The summer after ninth grade, Jordan and Smith attended a basketball camp. They were both physically underdeveloped compared to the older varsity players. In Smith's mind, Jordan was the far better player. However, when the varsity team cuts were announced, Smith made the team, but Jordan did not.
It was a devastating blow. Jordan searched the alphabetical list repeatedly, hoping he had missed his name. He went home alone and cried in his room.
The assistant coach later explained they wanted Jordan to get more playing time on the junior varsity (jayvee) team. There, Jordan dominated through sheer quickness, scoring up to forty points per game. His performances became so popular that the varsity players would arrive early to watch him play.
Smith noticed that after being cut, Jordan became even more fiercely competitive, determined to never let it happen again. His coaches observed the same relentless drive. Ron Coley recalled first seeing Jordan play in a jayvee game where his team was down by twenty points with one minute left. While other players coasted, Jordan was playing with full intensity.
Between his sophomore and junior years, Jordan grew about four inches, gained strength, and could dunk. He remained the hardest-working player in practice, pushing both his teammates and coaches. Suddenly, Laney High School had the beginning of a strong team, led by its rising star: Michael Jordan.