CHAPEL HILL, N.C., Feb. 4 (UPI) -- Senior North Carolina forward Marcus Ginyard will miss the rest of the 2008-09 basketball season because his left foot stress fracture has not healed.
The 6-foot-5 inch native of Alexandria, Va., the fourth-ranked Tar Heels' best defender, had not played since Dec. 28 against Rutgers shortly after undergoing surgery on Oct. 8.
"The decision was very tough for me, not easy at all dealing with a lot of different things that we had to talk about," Ginyard said at a news conference after Tuesday's 108-91 victory against Maryland.
"Not only is he our best defender, but he is our most experienced perimeter player," Coach Roy Williams said. "We have missed his presence all year."
Williams added that Ginyard, UNC's defensive player of the year in 2006-07 and 2008-09 and the top vote-getter on the coaches' ACC all-defensive team last season, will seek a medical hardship waiver from the Atlantic Coast Conference which would allow him to play a fifth season.
