Purdue University hired Matt Painter as its college basketball coach in 2005 and his tenure with the program has been an overwhelming success. Apparently, a large portion of the Boilermakers’ achievements stem from a unique approach on the recruiting trail.

Painter vets his top prospects by trying to catch them with their girlfriends.

Even though his strategy is as weird as it sounds, it is actually not that uncommon and there is some logic to the madness. His goal is to determine whether the high school athletes are locked in on their craft or if they are messing around!

Painter, 54, recently explained that he will often call recruits just to check in. Or so they think. In reality, their potential future head coach is trying to figure out where they are and what they’re doing.

If a recruit does not answer multiple calls without providing an explanation, that’s a red flag. If a recruit picks up at a party, that is also a red flag. More specifically, Painter wants to see if they’re in the gym or “with their girl.” The latter could also be a red flag.