Sep 26, 2006 3 min read

PITTSBURGH (AP) – Doctors removed a bullet fragment Monday from the head of Sam Ashaolu, the most seriously injured of five Duquesne University basketball players shot on campus. The fragment, initially believed to be an intact slug, was removed from behind his left ear, Duquesne officials said. The player’s medical team now believes Ashaolu, a junior forward from Toronto, Canada, has three bullet fragments remaining in his head.

Ashaolu, fighting for his life a week ago following the early morning Sept. 17 shootings, moved from his Mercy Hospital bed to a chair Monday – the first stage of rehabilitation efforts to get him back on his feet.

Duquesne coach Ron Everhart joked his reputation as a taskmaster might have proven beneficial to Ashaolu, who remains in serious condition.

“The doctors were trying to get him to move into the chair,” Everhart told The Associated Press after a lengthy visit with Ashaolu. “My assistant coach, Daryn Freedman, told him that coach Everhart was coming and wanted him to be in his chair. Daryn said Sam got up immediately and went to the chair without saying a word.”

Doctors had been reluctant to remove any bullet fragments because of swelling. The fragments that remain still pose a problem – if they shift into vital areas of the brain, they could cause a dramatic change in Ashaolu’s condition.

It’s too early in Ashaolu’s rehabilitation to tell whether he will move normally or play basketball again, but his improvement has been rapid and dramatic.

He has stopped receiving oxygen, several days after doctors removed his ventilator.

“When you think where he was a week ago, I couldn’t be happier,” Everhart said.

Duquesne officials said they hope Ashaolu can move from the intensive care unit to a rehabilitation facility in the near future.

Ashaolu’s family, in Pittsburgh overseeing their brother’s care, has set up a fund to help offset the family’s medical and travel expenses.

Stuard Baldonado, the 6-foot-7 junior college transfer who was hospitalized until Friday, planned to resume classes Monday evening.

Shot in the lower back and left arm, his rehabilitation might require a redshirt this season.

The bullet that struck Baldonado in the lower back was about one-quarter inch from hitting his spinal cord, which would have resulted in paralysis.

Ranked by several scouting services as one of the top five junior college transfers in the country, Baldonado had been expected to be an impact player at Duquesne, rebuilding after a 3-24 record last season.

“He’s moving around and looking great,” Everhart said.