When University of Washington women's basketball coach Mike Neighbors finds himself watching a lopsided high school or AAU game, he tries to think outside the box.
He seeks out athletic directors or ticket takers to measure intangibles, off-the-court qualities that don't show up in player rankings or box scores.
Ohio State coach Kevin McGuff takes his recruiting reconnaissance one step further.
"You talk to the people who sweep the floors and the people who clean the bathrooms and all that," McGuff said. "You see how they treat them."
In today's girls basketball world, where there is increasing competition to earn a scholarship, college coaches are paying attention to the small details, even if the score is 68-10. Recruits on top-flight teams signing this week navigated their recruitments through a handful of blowout games. That means their suitors found other ways to evaluate talent.
Players say they often tell coaches which games on their schedule will be the most competitive. That way, recruits get the chance to show their stuff, and coaches can maximize their 112 evaluation days.
"Every time I talk to a college coach, they even tell me [to] pick [games] out for them because they know that we will usually beat teams by a large margin," said Aquira DeCosta, the No. 6 prospect in the espnW HoopGurlz Super 60 for the 2018 class. She plays for St. Mary's (Stockton, California), which went 28-1 last year. Just four of their games were decided by 10 points or fewer.
Even with a heads up, coaches can still find themselves at lopsided games. With the team on cruise control and the recruit on the bench, coaches shift their focus away from layups or defense.
They'll take notes on how a recruit acts around her teammates or how she responds in huddles.
Neighbors looks at a handful of things.
"How do they respond to officials?" Neighbors said. "How do they respond to being in a blowout? Do they react the way we hope they would act?"
Before arriving on campus, coaches typically have seen a player in another venue, such as an AAU game or showcase. Neighbors acknowledged that it is "certainly hard to evaluate on-court talent" in a blowout. Coaches want to see how future players respond in tight games.
"It's hard when you see recruits and they're not playing against any competition," McGuff said. "You just want to see how they react in those environments."
Coaches try to get a sense of a recruit's character on the front end, before visiting a game. Blowout games, however, offer a rare look at personality that isn't visible over the phone or by text message.
Louisville coach Jeff Walz enjoys seeing recruits on the bench. Walz can remember games that have lasted just 45 minutes with a running clock.
"If you're not playing because your team is up big, are you there cheering for your teammates?" Walz said. "Are you getting them water when a timeout comes?
"We like to look for all those intangibles. It's not just about how many points can you score. It's what type of person you are."
DeCosta frequently hears from coaches who tell her to "play up to potential" even in an uneven game.
"They look for how your courage is," she said.
Ayanna Clark, the No. 17 in the class of 2017 and a USC commit, said many of her games at Long Beach Poly are blowouts.
Last year, the Jackrabbits went 27-5, winning their league games by a 55-point average margin. Clark generally advises college coaches to see her play during the playoffs instead.
But no matter what, Clark finds other ways to get involved.
"I'm always the person who's there to cheer on my team and pick them up," Clark said. "I do it either way. It doesn't just have to be a one-way thing when it's non-competitive."
Clark said it's common for college coaches to show up early, perhaps during the junior varsity game, to catch warmups.
Walz and his staff try to pick the most competitive games, but he has also found value in evaluating a recruit at practice.
"I get just as much, if not more, from watching a potential student-athlete practice than I do playing a game," Walz said. "I want to find the ones that love to practice."
Coaches agree that the EYBL circuit and AAU ranks have created a must-win environment for many teams. Programs are motivated to reach nationals, which makes games more competitive. Blowout games can happen anywhere, though.
"I've seen 68-10 AAU games," Walz said. "You just have to go and watch and see when they're up 50, are they still trying to compete and play the hardest? Or do they slack off."
Recruits on top-flight programs generally know which games on their schedule will feature the best competition. If a player is not a junior, high school coaches relay vital information about the matchup so that college coaches aren't surprised.
"I can tell them ahead what kind of game it is depending on which team it is," DeCosta said. "When you do have those competitive, elite games, just play your best and let it all out there."