Ex-Terp Cephas Is Dead At Age 29
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Tuesday, April 17, 2007
LaRon Cephas, who played basketball at the University of Maryland and was a senior on the school's Final Four team in 2001, collapsed at his Annapolis home and died yesterday. He was 29.
Former teammate Terrell Stokes said he was told that Cephas was ironing his clothes yesterday morning when he began shaking and collapsed. Paramedics were called and Cephas was taken to Anne Arundel Medical Center. Stokes said he arrived at the hospital just before noon, and learned that Cephas had died.
"He was fine, in shape," Stokes said. "It's unbelievable. It's real tough on us right now."
Stokes said Cephas's body was being taken to the state medical examiner's office in Baltimore for an autopsy. Funeral arrangements were not yet known.
A native of Wilmington, Del., Cephas enrolled at Maryland for the 1997 spring semester but redshirted that season. He was a reserve forward for the next four seasons, averaging 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds as a senior in 2000-01, serving as a captain when the team made the first Final Four appearance in school history.
He was well liked by teammates and coaches and was voted as a representative to the university's Student Government Association.
"He's one of those guys who, after you coach, you become friends with when he's done playing," Maryland Coach Gary Williams said last night. "You don't have good teams without players like that either. He was just a really good guy."
Cephas worked for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Annapolis and Anne Arundel County, first as an athletic director and then as acting program director. It was the group's fashion show that Cephas was preparing for when he collapsed, Stokes said.
"LaRon was more than a staff member; he was a friend and hero to so many," Reginald Broddie, BGCAA chief professional officer, said in a statement. "In the short period of time that he has worked with us, the number of kids he touched was amazing. He wanted the young people to know that they are special and can achieve above all."
Cephas is survived by his parents, Sharon Ford and Ron Cephas, and two sisters.
Staff writer Eric Prisbell contributed to this report.
