Barons tap Baltic pipeline

Clemson. Pittsburgh. Northwestern. Virginia Tech.

These are just a few of the high-level Division I basketball programs that have descended on the Blue Ridge School in recent weeks to check out 7-foot-1, 300-pound man-child Martins Abele.

Abele, a junior, moved to the states from his native Latvia over the summer. He says his goal is to someday make it to the NBA, just like Andris Biedrins, his countryman who plays for the Golden State Warriors.

“It’s a dream, but I don’t know,” said Abele, who recently turned 17. “I want to get a good education, play basketball and then just see.”

All indications point toward Abele having a number of options.

“He’s been well-coached by one of the coaches from the Latvian national team,” said Blue Ridge coach Bill Ramsey. “He has good range from 15 feet and in. He’s a good shooter.

“His athleticism is his weakest part, but it’s not bad. He’s got good hands. He can jump, but he’s not real explosive yet. We need to work on that.”

In a recent pickup game against some quality competition, including former Virginia player Lars Mikalauskas, Abele — who wears a size 18 shoe — showed pretty good coordination for someone his size. He also displayed soft hands and a pretty jump hook.

He was by no means just a big body, although that clearly was an advantage for him, particularly on the defensive end.

“The best part of his game is his shotblocking,” Ramsey said. “and his rebounding is very consistent.

“When he sets up down on the block, you can’t move him. He has good hands, catches the ball and finishes. And if you foul him, he makes his free throws. He’s a very good free-throw shooter.”

Abele, whose parents are both tall — his father is 6-foot-8, his mother is 6-foot-1 — says he hasn’t given any thought yet as to where he will attend college.

“I’m just a junior and I have a lot of things to work on,” said Abele, whose English is a work in progress, “like my power.”

What will be interesting to see is whether Virginia has any chance at landing Abele. The way that Mikalauskas’ career played out over the summer may have left a bad taste in Ramsey’s mouth. His former Blue Ridge star, currently weighing competing offers from pro clubs in Greece and Turkey, was kicked off the team by UVa coach Dave Leitao in August.

“I respect the job that the coaching staff does at Virginia,” said Ramsey, when asked about his relationship with UVa, “and they undoubtedly have some of the best facilities in the country.”

Ramsey said Mikalauskas may have more of a say than he does in where Abele — and a number of other Division I prospects who are at Blue Ridge this season — end up.

“Lars has been living here and working out with these guys,” Ramsey said. “He definitely talks to them all the time. He’s a true Virginia guy through and through, just like he said in his [press conference], but I don’t know whether that will steer them toward Virginia or not.

“He’s talking to them all the time, but I don’t know if that means it would be toward Virginia or away from Virginia.”

According to Ramsey, Virginia hasn’t come out to look at Abele yet. With two 7-foot prospects — John Brandenburg and Assane Sene — already in the fold, the UVa staff could be looking to fill other positions.

Regardless, Ramsey is confident that Abele will eventually land at a “high D-I” program.

“He just needs the right situation,” Ramsey said. “He needs a school that is more of a grind-it-out type school rather than a speedy, up and down the court type of team.”