Motor

Motors make cars run and motors make teams win. A motor in terms of basketball is a player's effort and hustle. If a player has a good motor he is always fighting for rebounds, crushing the boards at every opportunity. It means he is always hustling back in transition defense and not jogging back behind the action. Teams need five players with great motors on the floor to win big games.

Ultra competitive players are basically born with a good motor in them because they don't want to lose so they naturally outwork their opponents. Sometimes players don't have a good perception of themselves and thinking they are outworking guys when they aren't even close. Tyler Hansbrough has the ultimate motor. He is the definition of a guy with a great motor. Hansbrough never gives up on a play until the whistle blows.

One thing that happens a lot in AAU is that younger players watch the older, elite players play during down time stretches. Most of the time the top 25 players in the nation do not play very hard because they can get away with it. So the younger, less talented player says to himself "well player x doesn't play hard all the time and he is going to Ohio State..." and they don't believe they have to play hard to make it to the next level. The problem is a lot of times colleges do not recruit guys because they do not play hard enough. Mediocre talent can't lack hustle and they can't be a problem off the court i.e. grades. I've talked to many college coaches who have told me they like a guy's talent, but they don't think he has the motor to play at their level. That is a shame for the player!