They did so in an unplanned fashion, when Joanna McFarland, a big-time post prospect out of Derby, Kan., was, well, hooked on a feeling while sitting in on a practice during an unofficial visit last weekend.

Joanna McFarland works inside 6-7 Brittany Griner

"It's really hard to describe," said McFarland, the No. 21 overall prospect in the HoopGurlz Super Sixty for the 2009 class. "I just felt like I had to go there."

Both of McFarland's parents are from Oklahoma. Her mother, Jennifer, went to Oklahoma State, as did her father, Jay, who received his degree from Oklahoma. Though McFarland has sisters who played elsewhere, she grew up wanting to play at either Oklahoma or Oklahoma State. She also considered Colorado, Iowa State, Kansas and Oklahoma State.

McFarland's oldest sister, played for Kansas State. She said her other sister, Jackie, a senior at Colorado, lobbied her to play for the Buffaloes.

Asked if her decision to commit to Oklahoma meant Jackie wasn't a good recruiter for Colorado, McFarland joked, "Yes, that's exactly what I mean."

Joanna McFarland protects the ball

Both of McFarland's sisters counseled her to make her official visits before making a decision. She was on an unofficial visit, for Oklahoma's 42-14 football victory over Texas A&M on Saturday, when she made a gut decision to commit.

"They both made their visits," McFarland said of her sisters, "but they both said they knew where they wanted to go during their first visit. I felt the same way."

Though slightly undersized at 6 feet 2 for the post, and perhaps even forward, McFarland has excellent footwork and knowledge of using her body. The combination of the two, plus her advanced court sense, makes up for any lack of size. She had such an impressive summer that the Inbox for her email overflowed when colleges were able to contact her on Sept. 1. She says she has been receiving an average of about 10 letters a day since then.

"Surprising," is the way McFarland describes all the attention.

Turns out, where basketball is concerned, Joanna McFarland is full of surprises.

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Glenn Nelson is the founder and publisher of HoopGurlz.com. He is a member of the McDonald's All-American Selection Committee and SportsShooter.com (Click for Porfolio), Asian American Journalists Association, National Association of Photoshop Professionals, National Press Photographers Association and Online News Association. Glenn also founded and coached the Dragons and Northwest HoopGurlz select girl's basketball teams and previously was the editor-in-chief at Scout.com and a longtime, national-award-winning basketball columnist and writer for The Seattle Times. His work has appeared in several books and national magazines. He is co-author of "Rising Stars: The Ten Best Players in the NBA" (Rosen Publishing, 2002). For more on Glenn's World, click here. Glenn can be reached at glenn@hoopgurlz.com.