Jan. 19, 2007

Duquesne University head men's basketball coach Ron Everhart confirmed today that 6-9, 255-pound graduate student center Almamy Thiero (Mali, West Africa/Mount Zion (NC) Academy/Memphis) was admitted to Pittsburgh's Mercy Hospital overnight for treatment of blood clots in his lungs. Thiero, a first-year transfer from Memphis, admitted himself after experiencing discomfort in the early hours of Friday. He is expected to be hospitalized indefinitely.

"Our concern right now is with Al and his family," said Everhart. "Fortunately, he got to the hospital in time for the proper tests to be run and he's resting comfortably. I feel for Al because he is such a quality person who has fought through so much adversity in his career."

Thiero, who transferred to Duquesne late this summer after completing his undergraduate degree at Memphis, has had a career marred by injury. As a freshman at Memphis, he had a metal rod placed in his lower leg to repair a stress fracture and had a second surgery on the leg in 2003. He missed the majority of the 2003-04 season when blood clots were discovered in his lungs. Thiero played a full season as a junior before missing the 2005-06 campaign while recovering from an ACL injury suffered in the summer of 2005.

His Duquesne career began with arthroscopic surgery on his knee on Oct. 9.

Despite the early-season surgery, Thiero is one of five players to have seen action in each of the Dukes' first 15 games. He is averaging 2.4 points and 3.3 rebounds in 11.5 minutes per game.

The absence of Thiero leaves the Dukes (5-10, 1-3) with just one player taller than 6-6 available for Sunday's game at Atlantic 10 Conference co-leader Massachusetts (13-5, 3-1).

This will be the second consecutive trip to the state of Massachusetts that will see the Dukes shorthanded.

Everhart missed Duquesne's 98-93 overtime win at Boston College on Dec. 28 when he was hospitalized for five days in late December with a gastrointestinal ailment.