VALDOSTA, Ga. – For the Blazers of Valdosta State, Head Coach
Mike Helfer has made no secret about his plans to return to the fast-paced approach that served the men's basketball program so well from 2008-2011. So far, so good.
After a 4-1 start to the 2015-16 season, the Blazers aim to carry their early success into conference play against the North Alabama Lions (3-3) on Thursday night at 8:00 p.m. in Valdosta, Ga. at The Complex.
The addition of Troy University transfer
Chris Bilbo has provided a spark at the guard position for the Blazers throughout the early weeks of the season and has helped provide a key piece in Valdosta State's effort to speed up their attack. Meanwhile, returning sharpshooter
Blake Justice connected for a career-high seven three pointers in Valdosta State's 84-70 win over Coastal Georgia on Saturday and currently ranks 12
th among all GSC scorers with an average of 15.4 points per game.
In order to start the conference portion of their schedule off on the right foot, the Blazers will have to contend with a balanced UNA lineup that features five different players that are currently averaging over 10 points per game. The leading threat so far in 2015 for the Lions has been Dimarrio Jackson, a 6'0" junior guard out of Addis, La. that has posted 25-plus points in two different contests this year and leads the Lions with an average of 13.8 points per game.
Thursday's conference opener pits two veteran coaches against one another, as both
Mike Helfer and Bobby Champagne have combined for nearly 25 years of coaching experience in the Gulf South Conference. Helfer is in his 11
th season with Valdosta State and represents the second-most winning coach in Blazer basketball history after passing Gary Colson last year and improving to 188-105 at VSU, while Champagne is serving in his 13
th year at North Alabama. UNA leads the all-time series against the Blazers with a 38-32 advantage.
Full coverage of Thursday night's showdown will be provided at
www.vstateblazers.com, including live video, live audio, and live statistics. In addition, frequent updates will also be posted on the Blazer Athletics official Twitter account (@BlazerAthletics).
