EL PASO, TEXAS -- UTEP junior center John Tofi will undergo surgery this afternoon in El Paso to replace a screw in his foot, the result of a Jones fracture he suffered earlier in the summer.
He is expected to be sidelined for six weeks.
It will be the second surgical procedure for Tofi in the last six months. The first surgery, which was performed in Tofi's home state of California, was unsuccessful.
"Obviously it is a disappointing time for this to happen, but hopefully we will get it taken care of and John will be back at full speed by the first of December," said UTEP coach Doc Sadler. "All of our games are important, but the WAC season is the most important. John has been in our system for two years, and we anticipate that he will be able to recover well."
The 6-8, 245-pound Tofi averaged 10.8 points and 5.9 rebounds last season. He started 25 games, and scored in double figures in 19 of 32 contests. A native of San Francisco, Tofi scored 16 points and pulled down 10 rebounds in the Miners' 86-83 NCAA Tournament loss to Maryland.