In his sophomore year of high school, Michael Jordan tried out for the varsity basketball team at Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. But at five feet and eleven inches tall, the
coach believed that Jordan was too short to play at that level, so Jordan was cut from the team.
Jordan didn't let this obstacle defeat him. In fact, it pushed him to work even harder. He trained
vigorously and grew another four inches the following summer. When he finally made the varsity
squad, Jordan averaged 25 points a game and went on to become one of the greatest
basketball players in history.
2. What is the theme of the story?