It's that time of the year when high school basketball recruits start making verbal commits to the colleges of their choice, and Idaho State has picked up three new commitments in recent weeks.
On the men's side, the Bengals have received verbal commits from Emmanuel Chabuka, a 6-foot-7 wing player from Kuna High School, and Orland Axton, a 6-foot-3 guard from Central Valley High School in Spokane, Washington, according to social media posts by the two players.
On the women's side, ISU has a commitment from Riley Bevington, a 5-foot-9 wing player from Roaring Fork High School in Carbondale, Colorado, according to a story in the Aspen Times.
The first day high school players can sign with the school of their choice is Nov. 11 this year. ISU's coaches can't comment on recruiting commits until they sign.
Chabuka, whose mother attended Idaho State, was a second-team all-state choice as a junior after averaging 16.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game for the 20-7 Kavemen. He had a breakout game in Kuna's 72-67 win over Capital in the consolation championship of the 6A state tournament last March, scoring 27 points and pulling down 10 rebounds.
Axton, the son of Eastern Washington Hall of Famer Marc Axton, averaged 19 points, four assists and two blocked shots per contest, while shooting 47% from the field, and 38% from three-point range last year. Central Valley, the alma mater of both ISU coach Ryan Looney and former Bengal star Dylan Darling, finished 18-8 last season.
Turning to the women's side, Bevington was a Class 3A all-state selection after averaging 26.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 3.8 assists and an impressive 6.1 steals per contest. The Rams finished 25-4 last season, going 2-1 in the Class 3A state tournament.
Ironically, Bevington plays at the same high school that produced Tricia Bader Binford, current Montana State women's basketball coach. Bader Binford led Roaring Fork to three state championships before graduating in 1991 and becoming a star at Boise State.