Randy Foye, a guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, grew up in Newark, N.J. and knows how hard it can be on the youth of today in the same area.

Having lost both of his parents by the time he was only six, Foye knows first hand what it’s like to grow up with a lot of questions.

Enter The Randy Foye Foundation and some answers.

The fourth-year guard out of Villanova has established a foundation dedicated to helping the children growing up in Newark and, at some point, beyond.

“Basically, my [foundation] is something I do to help out younger kids that are unfortunate,” Foye told Hoops Addict. “[Kids] that are at high risks in urban areas where gang violence can basically take their lives.”

“It’s based in Newark, but I want it to be based all over New Jersey and take it worldwide,” Foye continued. “One of the main things I’m focusing on with my foundation is helping people who are unfortunate.”

Foye has grown into a leader on the floor with a young Timberwolves squad, but now hopes to have the same affect on kids back home.

He has the ability to look back and realize he was in some of these kid’s situations not so long ago. Now with the ability and resources at his fingertips, Foye has made the choice to change some of their lives.

“This is something that I’ve always wanted to do,” Foye said. “A lot of these kids that are risk, right now, I say to myself I was one of them kids. And so every thing that I do now, I try to put myself in their situation and I try to see what I probably would have needed at the time.

“I know what they’re going through. I love at my situation 15 years ago and I put myself in their shoes now.”

If kids need shoes? Foye helps them out. Struggling in class? Foye has set up tutors for extra help. Just someone to talk to about life? There are mentors available.

The main projects his foundation have started are the Assist 4 Life Program, the 1st/3rd Street Park Project and Team Foyeboy.

The Assists 4 Life Program “identifies children at the crossroads and makes moves to steer them in the right direction through after-school activities, educational projects and mentoring programs.”

Foye donates money to this program based on the amount of assists he has each year and is held at the elementary school he attended.

The 1st/3rd Street Park Project is a plan to rebuild a park in Newark’s North Ward, which happens to be near where Foye grew up.

Team Foyeboy is giving underprivileged youth basketball programs some help with the assistance from Nike, the NBA and other sponsors.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise that Foye has the vision of a better Newark when you consider his vision on the court has gotten progressively better over the years.

Foye entered the year with questions about being able to run the point and responded with his best year of his short career.

Foye is coming off of his best year of his career highs in points (16.3 pointer per game), assists (4.3) and minutes (35.6).

He feels like nothing changed this past year except the fact that he simply was being himself.

“I think one of the reasons I was really successful was that I was myself,” Foye said, who also shot over 40 percent from the floor and nearly 85 percent from the line. “I wasn’t trying to be anyone else. I wasn’t trying to do what other people wanted me to do. I was just myself. This year, I feel as though I played as the Randy Foye that got me in the NBA and not the Randy Foye that other people wanted me to be.”

The player that got him into the league was an explosive player out of Villanova. The 6-foot-4 guard was named Big East Player of the Year in 2006 and helped the Wildcats to the Elite Eight.

Four years later, Foye is beginning to hit his stride, but not without a few speed bumps along the way.

The Timberwolves have struggled while Foye has been there. They are a combined 78-168 in his three years with the team. Of course, Foye has been injured (he played in only 39 games in ‘07-’08 and missed 12 games this year) and having three different coaches in three years doesn’t help, either.

Foye, who will likely have his fourth different head coach next season, takes it all in stride.

“It’s tough, but that’s the nature of the beast,” he said of the coaching changes. “That’s the nature of the game. At any given time, anyone can be moves. At any given time, anyone can be cut. You just have to go along with it.”

One thing that he plans on doing more of, though, is something he used to do back in Villanova – studying.

“This year one of the main things I’m going to try to do is watch more film,” Foye said. “I think that if you watch film and see where you’re supposed to go and the things you’re supposed to do.”

Foye also plans to watch film of opposing players, something the elite players in the league swear by in getting better.

“You have to watch the guys you’re face up against,” he said. “The things they like to do and the things they don’t like to do. And when you’re playing against them, try to make them do the things they don’t like to do. To me, that’s the only way you’ll probably be successful against an NBA player is if you know what they don’t like to do.”

If Foye attacks the offseason the way he is with his foundation, the Timberwolves have a bright future ahead of them. A core group of Al Jefferson, Ryan Gomes, Mike Miller, Kevin Love and Foye provide the team with hope. The team also holds a handful of picks in next month’s NBA Draft.

In the meantime, Foye is focusing on bringing smiles to kids faces and it seems like he’s off to a good start.

For more information regarding The Randy Foye Foundation and what you can do to to help, please visit The Randy Foye Foundation.

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