In case you were wondering if the Saga of the Foot ended as well as the Saga of the Toe.
Ginyard practiced with the team all the way through the Final Four, though the extent of his participation was limited by the injury and he suffered through difficult soreness after each practice. Once the season ended, however, he was able to take the key step in his recovery.
"We took a couple weeks off after the season and then got back going," Ginyard said. "I felt like I could play – I could go as hard as I wanted – and afterwards it wasn’t killing me, so the end of April is when I felt like I was good to go.
"It feels very strong right now and we’re continuing to rehab and strengthen my leg, but it feels good. I feel very explosive right now."
Those who have observed Ginyard in pickup games and workouts thus far this summer affirm that he appears to have returned to form.
While much will be made of Marcus Ginyard needing to seize the mantle of leadership the way David Noel did in 2006, his play on the offensive end could be the lynch pin to the whole season. Ginyard was never a serious offensive threat and part of the reason for that was he never needed to be. When you are on the court with Ty Lawson, Tyler Hansbrough, Wayne Ellington and either Danny Green or Deon Thompson, your work on the offensive end will be in the form of making good passes, grabbing offensive boards and cleaning up garbage around the basket. The absence of experienced guards in 2010 changes what will be asked of Ginyard. His jump shot, especially the ones he takes from beyond the arc are important since the Heels have very little in the way of known three point shooting.
There is no question Ginyard will be the vocal leader on this team. The question is can he have a break-out season of sorts to shore up the Tar Heel offense where it needs it the most.