ORLANDO, Fla. -- Gary Williams says it has been a delicate situation and tries to gloss it over.

Steve Francis won't deny it, but says he can't comment at length.

Terrell Stokes acknowledges it has led to a couple of arguments this season.

Laron Profit says it's not a major issue.

But it has become obvious in recent Maryland basketball games that Profit, Stokes and Francis aren't always on the same page on the court.

The situation surfaced for everybody to see in the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament semifinal loss to North Carolina on Saturday in Charlotte, N.C.

Profit looked at an open Francis on the left wing with about 40 seconds left in the game and Maryland down by four points, but the senior forward still decided to drive the lane against Ademola Okulaja.

Profit lost the ball for his sixth turnover of the day, and Maryland went on to lose, 86-79.

So why didn't Profit give the ball to Francis?

Francis had been virtually unstoppable in bringing the Terps back from a 23-point deficit.

"I pictured myself with the ball on that play," said Francis, who scored 31 in the loss. "But he [Profit] has the authority on the team to do what he did. He wasn't able to pull it off."

Profit said: "Nine out of 10 times, I would beat him [Okulaja], but I didn't that time. If I had done it, everything would have great. I could go back and replay it many times if I let myself do it."

Francis said he has been "frustrated" other times this season when he has been open downcourt on fast breaks but the ball hasn't been delivered to him.

Stokes said: "The three of us have had a few arguments this season, but we've never gotten into anything major all season."

As for whether he gets the ball to Francis soon enough on the break, Stokes said: "I know all the time exactly where Steve and Laron are going to be, and I get them the ball right away."

A snowball for Maryland

Valparaiso coach Homer Drew said jokingly yesterday he might have finally figured out a way to stop Francis and Maryland.

"We had eight inches of snow in Indiana before I left, and I had to shovel out the driveway," said Drew. "I saved a bucket of it and put a basketball in it and brought it here for Maryland to use. That way they won't be able to dribble or handle the ball."

Thornton is anxious

Dunbar High product Bootsy Thornton will be stepping on the Orlando Arena court for the first time tonight at 7: 40 when his third-seeded St. John's Red Storm (25-8) meets 14th-seeded Samford (24-5) in the first round of the South Regional.

"I'm anxious, not nervous," said the 6-foot-4 junior shooting guard, who averaged 14.7 points and 4.6 rebounds this season for the Red Storm. "The chance to play here will only be special if we win. I want to bring back two victories from here for all my friends and family in Baltimore."

Knight loves Rogers

Long before sixth-seeded Indiana drew 11th-seeded George Washington in the first round (tonight, 10), Hoosiers coach Bob Knight said, he was praising the Colonials' Shawnta Rogers, a 5-4 guard from Lake Clifton. Knight said yesterday that he told his assistant coaches: "If I could pick one kid in the country I would like youngsters to look at, it is Shawnta Rogers. He is a great example to all kids. He has overcome a lot, like size, to be a lethal weapon."

Nightmare for Colonials

It took 28 hours for George Washington to make it from the school's campus to Orlando.

The Colonials left at noon Tuesday to catch a 2 p.m. flight out of Reagan National Airport.

But the snowstorm that hit the D.C. area canceled that flight, and the team was forced to go to Dulles later Tuesday night in an attempt to get on a flight. But once again snow canceled the flight, and GW wound up spending the night at a hotel near Dulles.

The Colonials finally were able to fly out of Dulles about noon yesterday and arrived just in time for a brief workout last night.

Samford player arrested

Samford center Marc Salyers will play today, despite his Saturday arrest on disorderly conduct and public intoxication charges. Salyers, a 6-9 sophomore and the MVP of the Trans America Athletic Conference tournament, was arrested after an incident at an off-campus party, police said.

Samford coach Jimmy Tillette said he investigated the incident and decided Salyers could play against St. John's.

Pub Date: 3/11/99