Coach says he's proud of players' responses after crisis
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Duquesne University hired Ron Everhart earlier this year to rebuild its sagging basketball program.
He learned a few things about his new team today, after five of its members were shot in an early-morning incident on campus following a dance.
Mr. Everhart said a number of the players tried to keep other people out of danger at the scene of the shootings and applied tourniquets to their injured teammates.
"I told every one of them how proud I was of them as a team, the way they responded to this tragic event," Mr. Everhart said last night. "This was a tremendous testament to the character of the kids, all the kids at Duquesne. It was very moving to watch them handle themselves."
Mr. Everhart and Athletic Director Greg Amodio spent much of yesterday checking on the five players who were shot and contacting their relatives. In addition, Mr. Everhart met at Mercy Hospital with other members of the team, some of whom also were at the dance.
"They were very shaken by the whole incident. Many of them were in the group at the dance, and it dawned on them they could be there [in the hospital] just as the guys who were shot," Mr. Amodio said. "We wanted to be as reassuring as possible and make sure they knew that Duquesne University was there to support them."
Junior-college transfers Sam Ashaolu was in critical condition and Stuard Baldonado was in serious condition at Mercy. Kojo Mensah, another player who transferred to Duquesne this year, was being held at UPMC Presbyterian for observation. Sophomore Aaron Jackson and transfer Shawn James were treated for minor wounds.
Mr. Everhart said the experience had been "very emotional for me because I recruited these kids. It's a very hard thing to deal with. I am very tired, but very concerned. My only concern right now is for the kids and their families."
Mr. Amodio said plans were being made to help parents and guardians of the wounded players travel to Pittsburgh.
"Obviously, they were shocked by the news," Mr. Amodio said. "We want to make this as easy on them as possible in such a difficult situation."
Mr. Amodio said Duquesne University was making counseling available to the basketball team and to all students.
"We want to move forward and not be paralyzed by the events," Mr. Amodio said. "We want to get back to normalcy as soon as possible.''
Mr. Baldonado, a 6-foot-7 junior power forward and a native of San Andres, Colombia, was considered by recruiting experts to be the most prized recruit in Everhart's incoming class. He was expected to provide rebounding and scoring punch around the basket.
Mr. Ashaolu, a 6-7 junior, can play either forward position. James, a shot-blocking specialist, transferred from Northeastern University, where he played as a freshman and sophomore under Mr. Everhart.
Mr. Mensah, a 6-2 guard who blossomed last season as a sophomore to average 16.3 points at Siena College, is at Duquesne without a scholarship. He can practice with the team this season and will receive a scholarship in 2007-08.
Mr. Jackson, a 6-3 sophomore, is one of only two returnees from last year's 3-24 team that set a school record for losses in a season.
The absence of any of these players for an extended period will set back Mr. Everhart's almost total reconstruction of a program that has experienced 19 losing seasons in the past 20.
Mr. Everhart, who rebuilt programs at Northeastern and McNeese State prior to coming to Duquesne this spring, was counting on having 14 players -- 12 recruits and two returnees -- available for the first day of practice Oct. 13.
Along with Mr. Jackson, the only returnee from former coach Danny Nee's team is 6-9 junior Kieron Achara, who sat out last season with a shoulder injury. Mr. Jackson started 21 games last season as a freshman.
Five other players on last year's team transferred after Mr. Everhart replaced Mr. Nee as head coach -- DeVario Hudson, Chauncey Duke, Ronnie Thomas, Sean McKeon and Brian Kelly.
Mr. Achara, who has shed 20 pounds during his rehabilitation, is expected to challenge for a starting job at either center or power forward, and Mr. Jackson could emerge as the starting point guard.
If Mr. Ashaolu and Mr. Baldonado are unavailable, the only two players on Duquesne's roster taller than 6-6 will be Achara and 6-9, 255-pound Almany Thiero, a transfer from Memphis. The majority of Duquesne's players are between 6-3 and 6-6 and can play either guard or forward. Mr. Thiero, a graduate student at Duquesne with one season of eligibility, had an injury-riddled career at Memphis under John Calipari.
Mr. Thiero took advantage of a new NCAA rule that allows players to transfer and play immediately for one season as a graduate student if they received an undergraduate degree in four years and have eligibility remaining.
First Published September 17, 2006 12:00 am
