Tuesday, February 25, 2003 12:00AM EST

May not expecting early return


By BARRY SVRLUGA, Staff Writer


CHAPEL HILL -- North Carolina center Sean May says that he still feels pain in his injured left foot and that his return is not imminent.
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"If it's up to me, I want to play," May said Monday before the Tar Heels' practice. "But there's some pain, and I'm not going to come back until there's no pain. That's something the doctors have to deal with, and they're trying to get me on the floor as much as possible without pain."

May, who broke the fifth metatarsal in his left foot Dec. 27 and has missed 16 games, has gone through non-contact workouts with the Heels for the past couple of weeks.

"It's not so much when I'm out here," May said. "It's when I stop that it hurts a little bit."

May, a 6-foot-8, 272-pound freshman, has another appointment tonight, following UNC's game against N.C. State. He indicated again that he needs clearance from his father -- Scott May, the former national college player of the year at Indiana -- before he will be allowed to play.

"I'll probably go back Friday for more X-rays, and we'll just have to see from there," May said.

"Before I play, my dad's definitely going to come down here and watch me work out."