LOUISVILLE, Ky. — For the second year in a row, the University of Louisville Cardinals will start the season without veteran forward/center Malik Williams.

UofL issued a statement Saturday saying the senior co-captain fractured the fifth metatarsal in his right foot. This is the same foot and the same metatarsal he injured last year, but this is a new fracture. UofL says Williams will be out for at least 12 weeks. 

“I feel for Malik,” said UofL Head Men’s Basketball Coach Chris Mack. “He’s everything a coach could ask for in a person, player, and captain, so my heart aches for him. Our team will miss his presence on the court during his time away. I feel for our fans as well who love watching and supporting Malik’s play. I have no doubt he will have a successful surgery and do his best to return to the Cardinals. We will support him on and off the floor throughout his absence.”

Dr. Andrew Harston will repair the break next week at the Norton Orthopedic Institute in Louisville. 

Williams broke a bone in his right foot in practice last year on Sept. 20, 2019, and had a screw inserted into the fifth metatarsal and was back on the court in eight weeks.  He missed the first four games of the 2019-20 season.

The Cardinals begin the 2020-21 season on Nov. 4 against Southern Illinois in the first game of the Wade Houston Tipoff Classic.

Williams is respected by his teammates, who elected him as team captain for a second straight year.  He has 604 career points and 444 rebounds.  

He was the runner-up in the 2019-20 ACC Sixth Man of the Year voting. Williams scored in double figures on 10 occasions as a junior and 23 times for his career. The 6-11, 245-pound forward/center from Ft. Wayne, Ind., was 19th in the ACC in rebounding, averaging 6.1 per game, and averaged 8.5 points.