By Ivan Carter
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, January 12, 2006; E04

There was a conspicuous addition to the Washington Wizards' locker room yesterday, but it was not a new player. It is called a "hustle board."

It hangs on the wall in the middle of the room and will be used to track the number of deflections, steals, charges taken, contested shots, offensive rebounds and loose balls each player is credited with during each game.

Coach Eddie Jordan said he and his coaching staff have talked about hanging a hustle board since training camp.

"It's something that can give some visual motivation right there on a daily basis," Jordan said. "Those are the things that don't necessarily show up in the stat sheet, things you don't always see, things you don't always talk about. Boxing out. Getting loose balls. Deflections. Contesting shots. Those things that have an effect on winning and losing."

Jordan said he has not used such a board in the past but the tactic is not unusual in pro sports. Many NFL teams post boards tracking hustle plays such as downfield blocks and special teams performance.

"You build up enough check marks and then you get a gold star, maybe juice and a cookie," Jordan joked. "No, it's just something that they can see and we think it will create competition within the team. Get the W. That's the only reward we care about."