Randy Foye
From Hoopedia
Randy Foye (born September 24, 1983 in Newark, New Jersey) currently plays with the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves. He previously played for Villanova University. He was selected seventh overall in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Boston Celtics, immediately traded to the Portland Trail Blazers, and later traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves. Foye attended East Side High School in Newark, where he was selected as New Jersey Player of the Year, before being recruited by Jay Wright and Villanova.
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Villanova
Foye, along with Allan Ray, Jason Fraser, and Curtis Sumpter were proclaimed as the players to lead the Wildcats back to a championship. Foye and Ray reached the Elite Eight of the 2006 NCAA Tournament, playing with the other three starters in the four-guard offense; Mike Nardi, Kyle Lowry and Will Sheridan, while Curtis Sumpter was sidelined as a medical red-shirt with a knee injury.
Foye's career was extremely productive and eventful at Villanova, but his senior season was by far the best.
At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Foye is an average-sized guard. However, he is also notable for being a unique kind of player, as he is one of the few college players who shoots just as well when being defended heavily, as when he is wide open. Analysts have also proclaimed him one of the best in the game at creating his own shot, and creating for others.[citation needed]
In the 2005 NCAA Tournament, Foye averaged 20 points in three games, before a heartbreaking loss to 1 seed and eventual national champion North Carolina in which Foye scored 28 points. Villanova lost 67-66, the closest any team ever got to North Carolina in the tournament. He was named third-team All-Big East that year.
In 2006, Foye won the honor of Big East Player of the Year, beating out teammate Allan Ray, Connecticut star Rudy Gay and the league's leading scorer Quincy Douby of Rutgers.
Villanova tied for the Big East regular season championship with UConn and split their two games with the Huskies, winning the one played at home, in what some called the biggest Villanova win in over 20 years. Their final Big East regular season record was 14-2 in what some called the toughest conference ever. Overall, their record was 28-5. In the NCAA Tournament in 2006, Foye continued to be Villanova's biggest scoring threat, along with Ray. He had 24 points in their second round game against Arizona in a winning effort. Foye scored a team-high 25 points in his final game as a Wildcat, a 75-62 loss to Florida in the Elite Eight.
As a senior Foye averaged 20.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, 3.3 assists, 1.4 steals, and 0.6 blocks, though his field goal percentage was a sub par 41.1%.
Minnesota Timberwolves
Foye entered his rookie year on a team that already had six guards on its roster. Offseason free-agent acquisition Mike James was slated to start at point guard, Foye's most likely position in the NBA, and Ricky Davis at shooting guard. This left Foye to battle for minutes on a bench full of guards. In November, Foye's first month as a professional basketball player, Timberwolves coach Dwane Casey only gave Foye an average of 14.6 minutes per game. Foye, however, was productive whenever he was given minutes. Foye scored in double digits in each of the four games he was given 20 or more minutes of playing time.
When Allen Iverson demanded a trade, Foye's name was perhaps the most mentioned name in hypothetical deals. His Villanova pedigree made him appealing to the Philadelphia 76ers, and Kevin Garnett, Foye's All-Star teammate, was clearly growing frustrated by the mediocrity of his team, making it an opportune time for Minnesota to trade youth for proven talent. As has been the case in recent Timberwolves history, the Wolves never bit on the deal, choosing to keep their young guard.
Casey must have recognized that Foye was giving him effective minutes because in December, Foye's minutes per game average increased to 19.6 and he scored in double digits in half of the T-Wolves' games. However, since Dwayne Casey's firing after the T-wolves' 40th game (20-20), the T-wolves have struggled, yet the young star has played well when given minutes. In March, Foye saw nearly 24mpg of playing time a night, and in April so far has seen almost 27 minutes a night to perform. This is clearly traced to the fact the Timberwolves are playing their young guys due to lack of playoff contention.
Foye's rookie year averages through his first 77 games are 20 minutes, .422 FG%, 2.5 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 9.7 points. Among rookies he currently ranks fourth in scoring, eighth in three point makes and third in free throw percentage. He has been one of the most consistent rookie performers and was elected to the NBA first All-Rookie Team.
Medical Notes
In June 2006, it was reported that Foye suffers from situs inversus, a rare condition which means his organs are arranged as the mirror image of a normal person's: for example, his heart is in the right side of his chest rather than the left. However, it is not expected that this fact will have an impact on his game.
Family
Foye's father Antonio was killed in a motorcycle accident when Randy was three. Three years later, his mother Regina dropped him off at kindergarten, and Randy and his brother never saw her again. Foye doesn't know what happened to her. However, Foye had a neighbor and friend who was very close to him, and showed him how to play basketball. Foye keeps alive the hope that he will someday see his mother again, and even had an image of her face permanently tattooed onto his left pectoral.
