This edition of the Nova Notebook by Director of Media Relations Mike Sheridan features a look at former Wildcats All-American guard Randy Foye, who traveled to New York recently to take part in "Freshmen Fundamentals", sponsored by the BIG EAST Conference.

Randy Foye turns 32 this week (Sept. 24) and is set to begin his tenth season in the National Basketball Association in October. More than 13 years have passed since the 6-4 guard first enrolled at Villanova in the fall of 2002 as part of a nationally celebrated recruiting class that also featured Jason Fraser, Allan Ray, and Curtis Sumpter.

Yet through all of his travels, this favorite son of Newark, N.J., has never forgotten what it feels like to be a new college student expected to do big things on a basketball court.

It is why Foye didn't hesitate to accept an invitation from the BIG EAST Conference to take part in a group discussion with the league's basketball class of 2019. The two-day event was part of the BIG EAST's first of its kind "Freshmen Fundamentals" that took place in Manhattan the weekend of Sept. 12-13.

As a former BIG EAST Player of the Year, Foye was well-positioned to join a discussion that also featured former Georgetown Hoya and current Milawukee Buck, Greg Monroe, former St. John's guard Tarik Turner, and ex-Georgetown Hoya Patrick Ewing Jr. The group conversation was one component of a two-day affair that included an introduction to some of the media elements and other aspects that come with life in a high-profile national conference.

"I kept it real," Foye said of the thoughts he shared with the freshmen representatives of the BIG EAST's 10 member schools, including Jalen Brunson, Tim Delaney, and Donte DiVincenzo from his alma mater.

That direct approach has served Foye well throughout his time on the basketball stage and, from all accounts, did so this time as well. Those in attendance marveled at Foye's ability to connect with the young athletes in a straightforward manner. This is someone who has not only walked a mile in their high-tops but crafted the kind of professional career that so many of them aspire to.

"I may have scared a few of them." he says with a chuckle. "But when you are sitting where they are, when people have been telling them how great they are for a long time, they need to hear the whole story. No matter whether you are there for one year, two years, three years, or four, it's a lot of hard work. It's not just about playing the games."

Through the eyes of an NBA veteran and former college superstar, Foye focused on two areas he may have approached differently if he were able to live the years 2002-06 over again.

"If I had known the kind of money I would make," he says without a trace of conceit, "I would have majored in Finance or Business."

Foye speaks glowingly of his days as an undergraduate at Villanova and remains one of the more popular Wildcats in recent memory. But he related to the BIG EAST freshmen that in retrospect he wishes he had been able to forge deeper bonds with people beyond those in his locker room (Foye remains close to his former teammates and is a frequent workout partner with fellow grad Chris Charles).

"You're so busy with class, practice, study hall, and games that there's not a lot of extra time," he states. "I would like to have made more friends outside of basketball."

Foye's transition to college was, he recalls, not as smooth as it may have seemed. Though he appeared on the cover of the Philadelphia Inquirer magazine along with Fraser, Ray and Sumpter before participating in an official practice, there were social adjustments for a young man from Newark, N.J.

"I had grown up mostly around African Americans, Hispanics, and Puerto Ricans," he states. "I went from being in the majority at home to being a minority at Villanova. It was a culture shock. I felt like no one could relate to me and I was homesick."

The on-court adjustment was complicated too. Foye had, by his own admission, lived off his extraordinary athleticism, quickness, and strength to emerge as a top 50 recruit at East Side High School in Newark. His shot selection, though, was another matter -- "I took some crazy shots," he says.

A turning point, he believes, came during a serious discussion with his then second year head coach Jay Wright that remains crystal clear in his mind's eye.

"I was blessed with a lot of talent so I'd never had to go hard in practice in high school," he states. "I was dogging it and I didn't even know I was dogging it. I wasn't talking on defense and I remember Coach Wright asking, `if you don't talk to your teammates in a quiet gym, how are you going to talk to them when there are 20,000 people in the arena?"

Wright has always lauded Foye's willingness to be coached and slowly the tide began to turn.

"I remember telling myself that I just had to suck it up," he says. "I would look at Chris and think, `he's from Milwaukee, he can't even go home, so why am I feeling bad?"

There were ups and downs in a freshman campaign that ended at 15-16 but by the time Foye was a junior Villanova was 24-8 and battling eventual champion North Carolina to the wire in an NCAA East Region semifinal. A year later, Foye was a consensus All-American, the BIG EAST Player of the Year and first round draft choice of the Timberwolves.

As a senior, Foye was a confident spokesman and team leader. Upon graduation he established the Randy Foye Foundation to benefit the youth of Newark and in 2014 was honored by the city's Beth Israel Hospital for his foundation's efforts.

"Villanova catapulted me to where I am today," he states.

With Denver Nuggets' training camp fast approaching, Foye reports the wear and tear of NBA life have not yet worn him down.

"I feel better now than I felt at 25," he says, explaining that a knee issue that had vexed him for several years has been resolved without surgery.

He's spent time this off-season not only with Charles but with an old friend in the person of the Nuggets new Associate Head Coach, Ed Pinckney. The Villanova legend was on Wright's staff when Foye was a Wildcat and later on the Timberwolves' staff during Foye's stint in Minneapolis.

"He's still Coach P," Foye states. "He's still got that passion for the game and is doing an unbelievable job coaching."

Foye has shuttled between his New Jersey home and Denver this off-season and says he hasn't yet begun to mull what comes after basketball for him.

It's 2015 now and the 10th anniversary of the 2006 BIG EAST championship that Foye was a central figure in will be celebrated at Villanova home game this season.

"It's kind of hard to believe," he says.

Foye's place in Villanova Basketball history is secure. His No. 2 jersey hangs in the Pavilion. But on a rainy September Saturday, he took the time to make his way to an office in Manhattan to give something of himself back to a crop of newcomers who may only have known him as a name in an NBA box-score. Foye says a number of people involved that weekend have reached out to thank him, including BIG EAST commissioner Val Ackerman.

"I really enjoyed it," he says.

Wright never doubted that Foye would have an impact in that room.

"That's Randy," states Wright. "I'm so glad that, not only our freshmen, but all the freshmen in our league got to hear his perspective. This is a great concept that Val and (Senior Associate Commissioner) Stu Jackson have put together and I'm proud that Randy played a part in it."