He'll spend the next two months doing the same thing, but this time he'll miss some basketball games.

Ginyard, UNC's starting small forward last season, will be sidelined for the next eight weeks after undergoing surgery Wednesday to repair a stress fracture in his left foot.

He started wearing the boot in February because of a sprained left big toe and other soreness. He sprained his left ankle in August, a team spokesman said, and officials think the sprain aggravated the stress fracture.

Doctors on Wednesday inserted a screw into his fifth metatarsal, which is the long bone that connects to the "pinkie" toe.

He is expected back before the ACC schedule begins.

Coach Roy Williams said in a prepared statement: "You hate this for Marcus because he has worked so hard to get ready for his senior season, but he decided it was better to have the surgery now and be ready sometime in December, than risk a more substantial injury that would knock him out of action later in the season."

Ginyard, a senior, averaged 6.9 points and 4.5 rebounds last season and has been named the team's Defensive Player of the Year each of the past two years. He is also one of the most vocal team leaders.

With Ginyard sidelined, senior Danny Green -- one of the top sixth men in the country last season -- will likely slide into the starting slot. The Tar Heels begin practice Oct. 17.

North Carolina, a Final Four favorite again after losing in the NCAA semifinals last season, still has one of the deepest teams in the country. The Heels return seven of their top eight players, including consensus National Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough, and are bringing in a four-man freshman class.

"We will miss his play on both ends of the floor as well as his leadership with the young players," Williams said of Ginyard. "I am hopeful others will step forward to fill those roles."

Ginyard's is the latest foot injury that has hurt Carolina in recent years.

In 2002-03, center Sean May, who now plays for the Charlotte Bobcats, was limited to 11 games because of a broken bone in his left foot. In 2006-07, Quentin Thomas, who graduated last summer, had a stress reaction in his left foot that caused him to miss nine games. That same season, Bobby Frasor, now a senior, missed 10 games during two stretches because of injuries to his right foot.

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