Jan. 10, 2003
Each week during the school year, VU director of media relations Mike Sheridan takes you inside the Villanova Men's Basketball program with notes, quotes and anecdotes from the Wildcats.
VILLANOVA, Pa. - The phrase is a favorite of coach Jay Wright and his staff. In fact, thanks largely to the efforts of coordinator of basketball operations Billy Lange, it is a virtually omnipresent slogan at the Pavilion, on t-shirts, wall plaques and photos.
"Actions speak louder than words."
In the case of Randy Foye, actions and words have spoken volumes lately. For as Villanova prepared to take possession of the basketball on Jan. 8 with a game against Virginia Tech tied at 74 and 16 seconds on the clock, Wright's words were clear: Foye was to have the ball in his hands.
"We wanted to have Randy fake the dribble handoff to Gary," explained Wright following what turned into a 92-81 overtime victory. "The decision wasn't based on any lack of faith in Gary. We just knew that we had been in exactly the same situation against Memphis and that Virginia Tech saw that on tape. We felt like we needed to do something different and I am very comfortable with the ball in Randy's hands."
As scripted, Foye dribbled toward Buchanan. But as he did so, he spotted something.
"As I looked I saw the lane was wide open so I drove in there," he said. "I got into the lane and there was contact. That's my shot and I have to take it."
In this case, though, the contact and Virginia Tech conspired to stop the play. There was no basket and the game went into overtime, where the Wildcats outscored Virginia Tech 18-7 in that period.
"I had no problem with what Randy did," said Wright. "I want him to be aggressive and he made a pretty good play. We just didn't finish it."
More significant than the result, though, may have been the faith Wright demonstrated in his rookie point guard.
"I thank coach for that," said Foye. "It means so much that he trusts me to make a good decision in those kinds of situations. As a player, it's great when your coach believes in you."
It likely won't be the final time that Foye has the ball in his hands at crunch time. Despite coming up empty in the final minute, Foye still enjoyed a spectacular Big East debut. The product of Newark, N.J. led the 'Cats (8-5) with 21 points, four assists and four rebounds in 32 minutes. He was 7-of-13 from the floor and 2-of-2 from beyond the arc.
In fact, in his last two outings Foye has averaged 17 ppg. On the year he is averaging 9.9 points and 4.2 rebounds as one of only two 'Cats (Ricky Wright is the other) to have started all 13 games for Villanova.
As he approaches the midpoint of his rookie season, Foye believes he has reached a comfort level that may not have existed earlier in the year.
"When I came in I wasn't sure how coach wanted his point guard to play," said Foye. "Some coaches really want their point guards to concentrate on dishing the ball to their teammates and not look for their own shot. But Coach Wright likes his point guards to score as well and it took me a little time to adjust to that."
Indeed, there were moments early on when Foye focused primarily on involving others in the offense, to the point where he neglected his own game. Most notably, he attempted zero shots from the field in a 74-71 victory over La Salle in 24 minutes of action on Dec. 7.
"Randy, like all of our freshmen, is so coachable, almost to a fault," said Wright. "Early on we talked to Randy about getting everyone involved. But he was so focused in doing it that he lost some of his offensive aggressiveness.
"It's taken some time, but I think Randy is becoming very comfortable in what he does out there."
Like his three touted freshmen colleagues - Jason Fraser, Allan Ray, and Randy Foye - there have been highs and lows in the season's first half for Foye. Yet all four are contributing steadily and growing about as the coaching staff expected.
Fraser and Foye are starters. Fraser's numbers (8.9 ppg and 7.7 rpg) are comparable to those of the man he replaced, Brooks Sales. Ray is third on the squad in scoring at 11.2 ppg and is a force off the bench. Sumpter's role has grown of late as a defensive catalyst and offensive threat off the bench.
"We really try not to get caught up in everyone else's expectations," said Wright. "I'm pleased with how our young guys are developing."
Foye is philosophical about the exposure that accompanied him and his classmates to the Main Line.
"I think anytime there are good players going to a school there is hype," he said. "People had heard about us and I think a lot of it was just the fans wanting to get to know us. Now that they know us, it's died down a little bit and that's OK. That's the way it works."
With the second semester set to begin on Jan. 13, Foye is looking ahead. He had a solid semester in the classroom and is eager to tackle the rest of the Big East schedule after the sampler he tasted against Virginia Tech.
"The thing that I noticed," said Foye of his first official Big East action, "was that when we got a lead, they never let up. When they came back, we didn't let up. The coaches and other guys had told me how intense it was and how no lead was safe. It was just like they had said it would be."
When asked if there are lessons to take as he heads into the meat of the schedule, Foye smiled.
"I want to be a little more aggressive and play with confidence," he stated. "Even though that play didn't go my way last time, I want to be ready the next time it comes.
"The only thing I would do differently on that play," he concluded, "is go a little slower."
It was legendary UCLA coach John Wooden who espoused the virtue of moving quickly but not hurrying. Foye's understanding of that concept is an indication he's gaining ground on those considerable expectations.
"Coach Wright showed his confidence in me," said Foye. "I hope the next time we're in that situation, I can repay him for it."...
On most nights he is the ninth man in a rotation that usually doesn't go beyond that number. But don't let the relatively modest number of minutes of Marcus Austin fool you says Wright.
"I am very pleased with Marcus," Wright said of his 6-9 sophomore forward. "Marcus has come a long way."
A year ago, Austin was thrust into minutes as a reserve forward because there was precious little depth on the Villanova roster. This time, though, there are a bevy of candidates for minutes up front, including Fraser, Ricky Wright, Sumpter, and Andrew Sullivan.
"Marcus earns all the minutes he gets," said Jay Wright. "He does a lot of good things for us when he's out there on the floor. Marcus has worked hard and is going to be a help to us as this year goes on."
Austin, 6-9, scored four points in seven minutes in the Jan. 8 win over Virginia Tech...
