Kaela Oakes couldn't pinpoint one deciding factor that persuaded her to commit to Idaho State.

It could have been the chemistry she felt with coach Seton Sobolewski. It could have been Idaho State's academic programs.

It could even have been her campus visit about a month ago, when she arrived on crutches because of a recent ankle injury and ran into a bevy of concerned passers-by asking if she needed help getting around.

"It's hard to describe it," Oakes said. "You just know when it feels right. I just felt a better connection with everyone at Idaho State."

Whatever the reason, Oakes always knew she wanted to be a Bengal. The next step, then, was talking her childhood friend Morgan Wohltman into joining her in Pocatello next fall. Just like that, Idaho State has received verbal commitments from two of the top Arizona high school prospects from the 2008-2009 class.

Oakes, a 5-foot-5 point guard from Chandler, Ariz., earned Class 5A All-State honorable mention honors from both the Arizona Republic and East Valley Tribune last season. Wohltman, a 5-foot-11 guard/forward from Gilbert, Ariz., helped lead her high school to the 5A state title in the highest classification in Arizona. For those efforts, the East Valley Republic named her the 2008 5A Player of the Year.

Wohltman is still recovering from a dislocated right kneecap that derailed her summer AAU season, a fact that likely played a role in the highly recruited player committing to Idaho State.

"I think Idaho State did very well," said Miner Webster, Wohltman's coach at Highland High. "I really think if she hadn't gotten hurt and she had been able to play all summer, she wouldn't be going to Idaho State."

Both Wohltman and Oakes play for the Lady Arizona Silver Streaks AAU team, which draws players from the Phoenix metropolitan area. Silver Streaks coach Blanca Garcia said both girls rank among the top eight players in their class in Arizona, and that Wohltman was a top-three prospect before she got hurt.

Wohltman led Highland with 14.1 points and 5.3 rebounds per game, and she also collected a team-high 72 steals. Webster described her as a deadly catch-and-shoot wing.

"She's one of those kids that you tell other people to watch so they can learn how to shoot a ball correctly," Webster said. "She's a big-time player."

The Silver Streaks' top prospect heading into the summer, Wohltman hurt her knee at an AAU tournament in the beginning of the summer. She had been contacted by schools like Arizona, Kansas State and Iowa, but none offered scholarships after her injury, Garcia said.

Wohltman spent the summer rehabilitating her knee with the Phoenix Suns' team doctors, and Garcia, who works out with her for an hour and a half every day, said Wohltman has recovered most of her lateral motion and foot speed.

"She was just starting to get known," Garcia said. "You never know where she might have gone if she hadn't gotten hurt."

Oakes, who averaged 10.8 points and a team-high 5.4 assists and 3.1 steals a game last year for Basha High, is known more as a standout on-ball defender.

She captured second place and fifth place in the 200-meter and 100-meter dashes, respectively, at the 2008 5A state track and field meet, and both Basha High and the Silver Streaks often utilize her speed by running full-court presses all game.

Oakes caught scouts' eyes when she was matched up in an AAU showcase against Jaime Printy, the top prospect from Iowa who has committed to the Hawkeyes, and held her under double digits in scoring.

"She just frustrates the heck out of every point guard that has to bring the ball up against her," said Lawrence Williams, Oakes' coach at Basha High. "No one gets around her."

Midway through the summer, Oakes tore a ligament in her left ankle and won't return to basketball until November. She had gained such a reputation, though, that Northern Arizona was hotly pursuing her, as well as Wohltman. But Oakes said the Lumberjacks never stood a chance against the Bengals, with whom she plans to sign during the early signing period in November.

"I just got a feeling from coach Sobo," Oakes said. "I felt really comfortable, and it felt like I'd known him for a long time, even though I'd only known him for a month."