It was 2:51 a.m. Sunday when Duquesne University basketball coach Ron Everhart was awakened by the shrill ringing of the phone in his bedroom.

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"Oh, my God, our guys have been shot," assistant coach Daryn Freedman screamed into the receiver. "They've been shot."

While asking questions with the phone in one hand, Mr. Everhart threw on some clothes and headed to the driveway. As soon as he got in his car, Athletic Director Greg Amodio called.

Mr. Everhart made what usually is a 20 to 25 minute ride to Duquesne's campus in about 12 minutes, all the time making calls to his assistants and other university officials.

When he got to Mercy Hospital, Mr. Everhart met Mr. Amodio in the emergency room and saw a number of his players standing around with confused and concerned looks on their faces.

"I got my guys out of the waiting room into the parking lot," Mr. Everhart said last night in his office at Palumbo Center. "The first thing we had to do was find out who was injured, where they were injured, how badly were they injured and what floors are they on. I knew it was bad. Real bad.

"I thought the biggest thing at that time was to make sure our guys cooperated with the authorities. The detectives came in in about 10 minutes."

While Mr. Everhart was meeting with his players, Mr. Amodio stayed in touch with the doctors.

"Greg was a strong leader and was by my side the whole time," Mr. Everhart said.

He knew that Sam Ashaolu had been shot in the head and was critical and that Stuard Baldonado, Kojo Mensah, Shawn James and Aaron Jackson also had been wounded. Four of the players were at Mercy.

But where was Mr. Mensah?

"I panicked," the coach said. "Then I found out he was taken to [UPMC] Presbyterian hospital."

Once things calmed down somewhat, Mr. Everhart tried to call the parents and guardians of all the players who had been shot. He left messages for some and called friends in Miami to help him get in touch with Mr. Baldonado's family in Colombia and an older sister in Germany.

"I was scrambling, reaching out," said Mr. Everhart, who has received numerous calls from coaching colleagues. "I've been blown away by the compassion and support this campus has provided. You realize you've got to lean on people. You can't do everything by yourself."

Mr. Everhart didn't know the condition of his players or what had happened for several hours after the shootings.

"When I found out about Sam, I felt a sense of helplessness. He's laying there and there's nothing I could do. There's so much he's never gotten to do. It's so unfair. It makes no sense."

After contacting the families, Mr. Everhart and Mr. Amodio met with President Charles Dougherty for about 30 minutes in his office. By that time it was almost 5 a.m.

"Even that early the news media was trying to get involved, trying to figure out what was going on," Mr. Everhart said.

He spent most of Sunday at the hospital and in his office. At around 7 p.m., he went home to take a shower, hug his wife, Mirchana, and 7-year-old twins, Gianna and Ronnie.

"The kids were really concerned," he said. "They didn't really understand what was happening."

Mr. Everhart rushed back to campus in time at attend a 9 p.m. Mass, made another visit to the hospital, then went back to his office to meet with his staff. He finally headed home at 1:30 a.m. Monday.

He was back at the hospital at 5:20 a.m.

Mr. Everhart grabbed something to eat around noon and then visited the players in the hospital, talked to his staff and made sure the families making the trip to Pittsburgh were settled. The NCAA allows Duquesne to bring in relatives to see a child who is injured.

"You don't ever envision a situation like this," Mr. Everhart said. "I knew I had to be a leader. I've always felt you've got to have your chest out and chip up because I'm responsible for kids who are fragile."

But Mr. Ashaolu still is in critical condition.

While a tragic event has pushed aside thoughts of basketball for now, the season still is in the back of the coach's mind.

"No matter how you cut it, we have a job to do here," he said last night. "We're all here for a purpose. But right now, my biggest concern is the kids in the hospital and making sure the families are OK."