North Carolina junior guard Leslie McDonald, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in a Durham summer-league game in July, will not return this season and will redshirt the year as he continues his rehabilitation.

McDonald recently returned to practice with the Tar Heels and is ahead of schedule in his rehabilitation, UNC coach Roy Williams said today. However, Williams said that after meeting with McDonald and his family, it was decided that it would be in McDonald's best interest to take the whole season off to recover.

North Carolina coach Roy Williams said today during his weekly ACC teleconference that junior guard Leslie McDonald, who suffered a torn ACL during a summer league game in July, has been practicing with the Tar Heels on a limited basis.

North Carolina reserves Leslie McDonald and Reggie Bullock both practiced Monday and today, and should play Wednesday at Miami, a team spokesman said. Reserve Justin Watts, however, still hasn't practiced since he sprained his right ankle last Tuesday against Clemson, and is doubtful against the Hurricanes.

McDonald, who is averaging 7.7 points off the bench, has been sidelined since the Jan. 16 game at Georgia Tech, when he bruised his back and sustained a lung injury. Bullock, who scored a career-high 18 points against Clemson, did not practice for five days because of swelling in his left knee.

CHAPEL HILL - As a result of the back bruise he sustained in Sunday's game at Georgia Tech, UNC basketball player Leslie McDonald also is dealing with a pneumothorax, which team spokesman Steve Kirschner -- after talking to the team trainer -- described as occurring when air gets trapped outside the lung, but is pushing against the lung.

Kirschner said the sophomore, who missed Tuesday's win over Clemson, would be re-evaluated later in the week, and a timetable for his return would be set then.

North Carolina shooting guard Marcus Ginyard, who has missed three games with a sprained right ankle, will go through pre-game warm-ups and may play against Virginia Tech tonight after all, a team spokesman said. Coach Roy Williams had said Friday he did not expect the fifth-year senior to play. But he practiced Saturday.

Meanwhile, wings Will Graves and Leslie McDonald, who were questionable because of right ankle sprains, will play.

Scary thought: One of the most impressive players at the Nike Hoops Summit was Leslie McDonald, i.e. UNC's "other" recruit — the fifth member of the '09 recruiting class and only one that wasn't a McDonald's All-American.

McDonald, a shooting guard, was one of three ACC signees on Team USA, which lost to the World Team, 97-89. Raleigh's John Wall drew the headlines, with 11 assists and five steals, but there's plenty to read about McDonald, Duke's Mason Plumlee and UNC's John Henson in the NBADraft.net article.