VALDOSTA, Ga. – The No. 11-ranked Valdosta State men's basketball team opens the 2018-19 season at the Gulf South Conference/Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regional Challenge, hosted by Albany State University this weekend.  
 
The Blazers begin the season with Albany State, Friday at 7 p.m., and then will face Fort Valley State Saturday at 2 p.m.  This marks the third-straight year the Blazers have opened with the GSC/SIAC Regional Challenge.
 
Last week the Blazers battled Florida State in an exhibition game and VSU hung with the No. 14 Seminoles. VSU was led by 28 points from Clay Guillozet as he was 9 of 13 from the field and 5 of 7 from beyond the arc, while going 5 of 7 from the line.  Graduate senior Beau Justice added 18 points with six made field goals and four triples. VSU shot 42.9 percent for the game on 27 of 63, while going 15 of 31 from beyond the arc and 8 of 12 from the line. The Blazers had the Seminole lead down to single digits with 17 minutes left.  Turnovers were costly for the Blazers as they committed 25 for the game as FSU held a 39-15 lead points off turnovers.  
 
The Blazers were picked to win the Gulf South Conference in the preseason poll announced last month.  VSU garnered 11 of 13 first place votes and 143 points.  West Florida was picked second with 118 points, while Delta State was third with one first place nod and 114 points.  
 
Justice was named to the Preseason All-GSC Team as he ascended into one of the top basketball players in the country over the last two seasons for the Red and Black. Justice has helped lead the Blazers to a 37-5 record in league play over the last two years and became just the third player in school history to reach 1,000 career points in two seasons or less, placing him on the company of Tyrone Curnell and all-time scoring leader and Blazer Athletics Hall of Famer Eddie Brown.   Last season, Justice was named GSC Player of the Year, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year and named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-America.
 
The Blazers are 11^thin the preseason NABC Top 25, while the Blazers are 10^thin the D2SIDA Poll as voted on by select Sports Information Directors throughout the country.  Along with VSU, West Florida is 12^thin the NABC poll and 13^thin the D2SIDA poll, as the only two GSC teams ranked.  Justice was named a Street & Smith's Preseason All-America selection heading into 2018-19, while being named Division II Bulletin Preseason Player of the Year.
 
VSU is under the direction of 14^th-year head coach Mike Helfer as the Blazers went 26-5 in 2017-18 and 18-2 in the GSC.  The Blazers claimed the GSC regular season title last year for the second-straight year and had a winning streak of 18 games during the season. VSU qualified for its tenth trip to the NCAA postseason.  Helfer is 253-130 at VSU and 439-213 overall in his 22^nd season of coaching.
 
Last season, Justice was named GSC Player of the Year, D2CCA South Region Player of the Year and named National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II All-America.  Justice finished the season starting all 31 games, while going 200 of 423 from the field (.47) with 88 triples in 214 attempts (.411) and went 131 of 145 from the line (.903).  He averaged 3.8 rebounds per game and led the team with 109 assists (3.5) and 33 steals, while scoring 619 points (20.0).  
 
Along with Justice, the Blazers return Guillozet, who averaged 12.6 points last season, while going 155 of 281 from the field (.552) with 18 triples and averaged 6.0 rebounds per game.  Senior Morgan Winston also returns as he averaged 12.5 points per game on 126 of 299 (.421) with a team-high 106 triples in 242 attempts (.438), while ranking third on the team in assists with 99.  Seniors Tyler Johnson, Greg Zuppas and Max Harris also return for the Blazers in 2018-19, along with redshirt junior Jake Elliott. 
 
VSU welcomes graduate transfer newcomers Desmond DeRamus from Auburn Montgomery and Keshawn Ingram from Eckerd, along with juniors Bryce Smith from Northeastern Mississippi CC, Gerald Williams from Pensacola State, Darrell Jones from Santa Fe CC and Goree Venable from Sullivan CC.  Helfer also added Valdosta, native, and Lowndes High School product freshman Zach Nabers, along with freshman Jakari Gallon of Tallahassee, Fla., and Leon High School.
 
Albany State enters the 2018-19 season following an 8-21 campaign in 2017-18.  The Golden Rams have a new head coach this season in Patrick Gayle who came to ASU following a 13-year run at St. Thomas University in Miami Gardens, Fla.  He was 125-51 over six years as head coach at St. Thomas.
 
The Golden Rams return second leading scorer Michael Green for 2018-19 as he went 65 of 176 from the field (.369) with 21 triples and went 35 of 57 from the line.  Green averaged 10.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, while recording 30 assists and 20 steals.  Jared Harrington also returns as he was third on the team in scoring at 10.0 points per game.  Harrington went 84 of 187 from the field (.449) with 10 triples and was 61 of 95 from the line.  
 
Fort Valley State also has a new coach for 2018-19 in Mark Sherrill.  Sherrill comes to FVSU from Johnson C. Smith where he guided the team to a 20-11 record last season and a berth in the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Championship game.  
 
The Wildcats have three seniors in Tyler Edwards and Jaylon McMillan, along with Dexter Williams who will be the focal point of the team.  FVSU battled Troy in an exhibition game last week as the Trojans won 95-60.  Despite the score, McMillan had 18 points to lead the Wildcats.  
 
Following the two games this weekend, the Blazers return home to open the 2018-19 home slate Tuesday, Nov. 13 at 7:30 p.m. versus Tuskegee at The Complex.  The game against Tuskegee opens a five-game home stand for the Blazers.