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."

Profit began the season as Maryland's most accomplished player, and the manner in which he dealt with the emergence of Steve Francis and Terence Morris as the team's stars is one of the reasons the Terps maintain grand plans for the postseason, which begins tomorrow at the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament in Charlotte, N.C.

A senior who played his high school ball in Dover, Del., Profit was the top returning forward in the Atlantic Coast Conference this season. Midway through the season, Morris had established himself as the conference's best at that position. Profit said he shrugged off that development.

"Terence is having a great year. He's supernaturally talented," Profit said. "I'm having a good year, and we're winning. If we were having a bad year and I wasn't playing well and Terence was playing great, then it might be difficult. If I felt like I wasn't contributing, I might feel differently, but we're ranked No. 5 in the nation."

Would Profit, who is all of 21 years old, have been mature enough to take that approach last season?

"It would have been harder," he said. "When you're young, you crave the attention. You want to show everyone you can play. I'm past that. I've played on national TV for three years; people know I can play. You know what I want? I want to win. I want people to say he won."

As the victories mounted in a 25-4 regular season, Profit quieted. He stopped giving interviews before games in early December, and only recently resumed the practice.

It was the media's loss, because Profit is comfortable in front of microphones and minicams, and could go into TV when his professional playing aspirations are exhausted. According to Profit's mother, his jokes and stories were always the dinner entertainment at their home.

Profit said the purpose of the embargo was to place his teammates in the limelight, but Mrs. Truiett said he "felt like the media gave him a bad rap."

While his mother told him to start talking a few weeks ago, Gary Williams asked him to keep shooting in November and December, when Profit experienced early-season shooting woes for the second straight year. Profit missed 17 of his first 18 three-pointers, had a combined 15 points against UCLA, Stanford and Kentucky, and heard whispers about his play.

"I heard a lot about senioritis, that I was worried about the NBA, worried about this, worried about that," Profit said. "More than anything, it was just pressure, trying too hard to make every shot. The way we started the season, so spectacularly, it was like, 'I want to be spectacular, too.' I was just pressing a bit, fell back in the habit of aiming the ball."

Reclaiming his jump shot was as simple as a flick of the wrist. When Profit follows through with his motion, he gets the backspin that becomes a shooter's roll. That's been evident the past 18 games, when he made 44.2 percent of his three-point attempts.

"He stayed in the gym and kept shooting," point guard Terrell Stokes said. "That's how you work your way out of a slump. The thing is, Laron knew he didn't have to be a big scorer this season."

Profit's attempts have dropped from nearly 13 a game last season to 11 this season. If he has shot less, he's enjoyed it more. He has made a career-high 51.0 percent of his field-goal attempts. The Terps' pressure produces many uncontested chances, but Profit's revived jumper has raised his scoring average from 11.3 points in early December to its current 14.8.

"It [his shot] feels good now," Profit said. "It feels unbelievable."

Profit's contributions were never restricted to his jump shot. An Air Force brat who became a basketball star at Dover's Caesar Rodney High, Profit nearly joined fellow Delaware prep stars Lenny Brown and Gary Lumpkin as they went to Xavier, but decided that his full-court talents would thrive at Maryland.

As a freshman, he learned to work the defensive perimeter from Johnny Rhodes, who's the only player in Maryland history with more career steals than Profit. His experience is a valuable weapon in the Terps' pressure. That was obvious Saturday, when he finished the regular season with a flurry of steals and a career-high 32 points at Florida State.

"Laron is more confident, and he's working to get open now, too," coach Gary Williams said. "He's one of those players, you don't always catch everything he's doing. Because he's so fluid, I still miss some of the things he does for us."

Not that Profit doesn't get noticed.

A backdoor cut by Profit and a jam off a lob pass is one of the favorite tricks for Maryland's acrobatic troupe. Dick Vitale christened him the best dunker in the college game, and Profit has been invited to participate in the slam-dunk contest that will be one of the sideshows at the Final Four in St. Petersburg, Fla.

He wants to pass on that invitation. Profit would prefer to be practicing and playing in the main event at Tropicana Field.

Climbing the charts

Forward Laron Profit ranks in Maryland's top 25 all-time in six statistical categories.

Category -- Total -- Rank

Steals -- 243 -- 2nd

3 FG made -- 105 -- 6th

Points -- 1,500 - 11th

Blocks -- 72 -- T-11th

Assists -- 280 -- 15th

Rebounds - - 540 -- 25th

Pub Date: 3/04/99