Laron

Cole Field House highlight 8 Games remaining Jan. 14, 1998: Unranked Maryland stuns No. 1 North Carolina in over time, 89-83, led by Laron Profit's 19 points. Cole finale: March 3 vs. Virginia He said it "He won't take a shot for most of the game. Then, he makes the biggest shot of the game." Gary Williams, Terps coach, on Steve Blake

Dawan Landry and his little brother, LaRon, have taken different roads to the NFL, have played different positions along the way, and years after leaving their tiny Louisiana hometown, have wound up on teams about an hour apart. They started in the same place, in the backyard of the family's home in Ama, La., whaling on each other from the earliest age. "We never really had stitches," recalled Dawan, now 24. "When I was 5 and LaRon was 3, my dad bought us boxing gloves. He didn't really want us to hurt each other.

Former Maryland men's basketball forward LaRon Cephas died last month of an enlarged heart, or dilated cardiomyopathy, the Baltimore Medical Examiner's office confirmed yesterday. Cephas died unexpectedly at his Cape St. Claire home the morning of April 16 while he was getting ready for work. He was 29. The cause of death was ruled "natural," meaning there was nothing suspicious about it. Cephas, a native of Wilmington, Del., was a reserve forward who averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds as a senior in 2000-01.

Former Maryland men's basketball forward LaRon Cephas died last month of an enlarged heart, or dilated cardiomyopathy, the Baltimore Medical Examiner's office confirmed yesterday. Cephas died unexpectedly at his Cape St. Claire home the morning of April 16 while he was getting ready for work. He was 29. The cause of death was ruled "natural," meaning there was nothing suspicious about it. Cephas, a native of Wilmington, Del., was a reserve forward who averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds as a senior in 2000-01.

Dawan Landry and his little brother, LaRon, have taken different roads to the NFL, have played different positions along the way, and years after leaving their tiny Louisiana hometown, have wound up on teams about an hour apart. They started in the same place, in the backyard of the family's home in Ama, La., whaling on each other from the earliest age. "We never really had stitches," recalled Dawan, now 24. "When I was 5 and LaRon was 3, my dad bought us boxing gloves. He didn't really want us to hurt each other.

Former Maryland basketball forward LaRon Cephas died yesterday, according to a school spokesman and a news release from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, where Cephas worked. Cephas, 29, collapsed while getting ready to go to work, according to his high school coach, Stan Waterman. Ed Kelley, who worked with Cephas at the clubs, said employees who went to Anne Arundel Medical Center yesterday morning were told Cephas died of a seizure. "He's going to be a serious loss as an individual as well as a quality employee," Kelley said.

Maryland signed two basketball recruits yesterday who figure to improve two of last season's problem areas for the Terps, if all goes as coach Gary Williams expects.Kelly Hite, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard from Tampa (Fla.) Catholic, and LaRon Cephas, a 6-7 1/2 power forward from Sanford School in Wilmington, Del., have signed national letters of intent for Maryland, Williams said.Hite averaged 15.4 points last season, shooting 53 percent from the field. Cephas averaged 23 points, 16 rebounds and five blocked shots, playing mostly in the post for the tiny private school that had 44 students in its senior class.

Maryland coach Gary Williams could take a lot of positives from Saturday night's 81-58 win over Princeton at the Baltimore Arena.The fifth-ranked Terps, after not playing for a week, rebounded from a tough road loss in Kentucky and used their full-court pressure to force the usually sure-handed Tigers into 29 turnovers. The Terps handily beat a team that shot more than 50 percent from the field against them for the first time all season. Finally, the Terps continued their success at the arena.

COLLEGE PARK -- This was for fun, for the fans, for a peek at the future.When LaRon Profit threw down a titillating dunk at the stroke of midnight Saturday, the soaring 6-foot-6 freshman set the celebratory tone for Maryland's coming-out party.Dunks and more dunks. Fireworks. ESPN and Dick Vitale. A flurry of three-point shots. There was Madness at Midnight at Cole Field House, and 12,000 raucous basketball fans were there to soak it in.If first impressions are lasting, the precocious Profit, first up in player introductions, made his mark.

GREENSBORO, N.C. -- Terrell Stokes needs to get it together, and fast.If he doesn't play well in the ACC and NCAA tournaments, Laron Profit could replace him as Maryland's starting point guard next season.Heck, coach Gary Williams might have considered the change this season, but his team played so well for so long, he couldn't justify the move.Perhaps Williams should have benched Stokes and moved Rodney Elliott into the starting lineup, with Profit, Matt Kovarik and Sarunas Jasikevicius sharing time at the point.

Former Maryland basketball forward LaRon Cephas died yesterday, according to a school spokesman and a news release from the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, where Cephas worked. Cephas, 29, collapsed while getting ready to go to work, according to his high school coach, Stan Waterman. Ed Kelley, who worked with Cephas at the clubs, said employees who went to Anne Arundel Medical Center yesterday morning were told Cephas died of a seizure. "He's going to be a serious loss as an individual as well as a quality employee," Kelley said.

LaRon Cephas has a powerful message on the wall above his desk at the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club: a framed red Maryland basketball jersey emblazoned with the number 21. The memento from the 6-foot-7 forward's career at College Park quickly catches children's attention."

Cole Field House highlight 8 Games remaining Jan. 14, 1998: Unranked Maryland stuns No. 1 North Carolina in over time, 89-83, led by Laron Profit's 19 points. Cole finale: March 3 vs. Virginia He said it "He won't take a shot for most of the game. Then, he makes the biggest shot of the game." Gary Williams, Terps coach, on Steve Blake

WASHINGTON -- Washington Wizards center Jahidi White had just wheeled in the lane and backed his 290-pound body against Michael Smith, who was sent sprawling onto the practice court at MCI Center."

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. -- It was 1: 30 on a Wednesday afternoon and all 13 Maryland basketball players were packed into a tiny locker room at Thompson-Boling Arena on the University of Tennessee campus.On benches and chairs, they awaited the crush of reporters armed with questions. It is about 30 hours before the Terps' 76-62 loss to St. John's in the semifinals of the NCAA South Regional -- otherwise known as the Sweet 16.It was the 13th day out of the past 20 that the Maryland players have been away from their classes in College Park.

COLLEGE PARK -- That was a telling conversation Laron Profit had with his mother Tuesday morning. It seems that Bernetta Truiett's son had a much easier time than she did accepting his third-team status on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference basketball team. "I couldn't believe it," Profit's mother said. "I was in shock when I heard the news. I called my husband, and told him I'd have to call Laron and comfort him. When we talked, Laron just said, `Chill.' He said I shouldn't let it bother me. I was the one upset, and he's the one who handled it. That made me feel wonderful."

LaRon Cephas has a powerful message on the wall above his desk at the Annapolis Boys and Girls Club: a framed red Maryland basketball jersey emblazoned with the number 21. The memento from the 6-foot-7 forward's career at College Park quickly catches children's attention."

LANDOVER -- A reporter tried to supply Laron Profit with an excuse. He is only a sophomore, right? Another of society's victims.Profit didn't want to hear it.He was late for a film session, and that's why he didn't start yesterday. He was late for a film session, and it was no one's fault but his own."That's something you're taught in elementary school -- be on time," Profit said. "Either you're on time, or you're not."What's this, a Maryland player taking responsibility?Last year's seniors wouldn't have approved.

Maryland coach Gary Williams could take a lot of positives from Saturday night's 81-58 win over Princeton at the Baltimore Arena.The fifth-ranked Terps, after not playing for a week, rebounded from a tough road loss in Kentucky and used their full-court pressure to force the usually sure-handed Tigers into 29 turnovers. The Terps handily beat a team that shot more than 50 percent from the field against them for the first time all season. Finally, the Terps continued their success at the arena.

COLLEGE PARK -- The transformation in Laron Profit was confounding.A junior forward, he led Maryland and the Atlantic Coast Conference in steals this season, with an approach firmly rooted in the fall. He relates to an elite defensive back, say Deion Sanders, or the "neighborhood bully who took your ball and told you to go home."So what happened to that bravado once Profit got his hands on the ball? When he came open on the perimeter in January, Profit became stricken with paralysis by analysis.