Heels' Ginyard may sit while he heals

Marcus Ginyard (right), out much of the season after surgery on a stress fracture in his foot, has played in three games, including Rutgers.

CHAPEL HILL — After watching North Carolina wing Marcus Ginyard struggle to return to 100 percent after foot surgery, the coaches are considering sidelining the senior to allow him to heal.

“I just thought, and Marcus thought, that he would be farther along at this (point),’’ coach Roy Williams said. “We are even discussing holding him out a little bit, just seeing him rehab and letting him get back to that point where he was is in the past. And if that’s the case, then we’ll be a heck of a lot better off.”

Ginyard, one of the team’s top defensive stoppers, had surgery in early October to repair a stress fracture in his left foot. But since returning last month, he’s only been able to participate in about 50 percent of each practice. He played against Rutgers, at Nevada and against Boston College, but sat out Wednesday’s game against College of Charleston.

If he doesn't play at No. 4 Wake Forest on Sunday, he will be missed.

“The guy was our defensive player of the year, and we look at our club right now, and is there anybody who can make life miserable on the 6-3 to 6-6 guy on the other team?” Williams said. “And I don’t know if we have (that).”

Asked if there was any situation where they might try to get a medical redshirt for Ginyard, thus sidelining him for the rest of the season, Williams said: “Right now, I’m trying to get Marcus ready to play for our team, period. … You guys look at it yourself: Isn’t there sometime you’re going to want a healthy Marcus Ginyard? And that answer is every day, but you also open your eyes yourself, and we don’t have that right now.”

— Robbi Pickeral