All was going well for Kristijan Krajina at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Va.

The 6-foot-9, 230-pound forward from Croatia was averaging 13 points, 10 rebounds and three blocks per game in his first year in the U.S., leading Blue Ridge to a 13-1 record.

“He’s having a great fall and lots of schools are checking him out for the first time,” Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey said. “Purdue was in the gym, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Virginia, Northwestern. TCU offered. But [the bigger schools] said they’d be back in the winter.”

Then on January 4, Krajina tore his ACL, and his recruiting picture went from crowded to nearly non-existent. The bigger schools wanted him to prep for a year, and Ramsey found a school in Indiana for Krajina.

Then earlier this month, Mount St. Mary’s assistant Kevin Robinson Jr. caught up with an old friend, Blue Ridge assistant Chris Cunningham, at a wedding. Robinson had an open scholarship for the 2009 class and Cunningham had a Division I-caliber player in Krajina that was still on the market. The Mountaineers offered and Krajina accepted. Ramsey thinks it’s a great fit for both parties.

“We like the situation in that he’s not going to a low-major team that’s fourth or fifth in the conference and needs him to be a starter and double-figure scorer and rebounder right away,” Ramsey said. “I think he’s going to be that for Mount St. Mary’s, but he’s going to be a year away from that. Full recovery is his prognosis. It’s usually a year after your injury.”

Krajina will resume full basketball activities on Aug. 17, roughly six months after his ACL tear. While a redshirt may be in his near future in Emmitsburg, Ramsey’s convinced Mount St. Mary’s got a late steal in Krajina.

“He’s a face-up forward who can play a little 3,” Ramsey said. “He’s a very good 3-point shooter and he’s athletic. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s a high-major player.”