VALDOSTA, Ga. –  The Valdosta State men's basketball team opens the 2023-2024 season in a pair of weekend games in the Gulf South Conference/Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Regional Challenge, Nov. 10-11, hosted by Clark Atlanta University.  The Blazers open with Fort Valley State at 6 p.m. ET and will make a quick turnaround and play on Saturday, Nov. 11, versus Clark Atlanta with tipoff being at 6 p.m. ET.
 
Fans can access live stats and streaming of the games at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page. All games following this weekend's matchup of Fort Valley State and Clark Atlanta will be streamed live on FloSports. Click here for more information on FloSports and how to sign up.
 
The Blazers are coming off a 18-13 overall record with a 14-10 record in the GSC. They were recently picked fourth in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll, announced earlier this month. Alabama Huntsville was picked as the league winner with 142 points and 10 first place votes, while West Alabama was picked second with 128 points and three first place votes. Rival West Georgia was voted one spot ahead of the Blazers, receiving 118 points. VSU had 108 points which placed them in fourth.
 
Each school had the opportunity to name up to three players as the top newcomers to watch this season. Valdosta state named junior Braxton Williams, graduate student Sam Martin, and junior Te'Derrius Williams to the watchlist. Braxton Williams is a transfer from Coastal Alabama South Community College, where he averaged 19.9 points and 5.0 rebounds on top of being named Alabama Junior College Player of the Year.
 
Te'Derrius (Tee) Williams is also a transfer from junior college, making way to Valdosta from Wallace State CC-Hanceville, where he put up 10.8 points on 56.9% shooting and grabbing 7.1 rebounds in his 32 games played last season.
 
Martin is a graduate transfer from UMKC, who started in 16 career games while playing for the Roos, shot 45.3% from the field and 42.4% from three in his redshirt sophomore season in 2021-2022. Martin scored a career high 15 points on 6-7 shooting against North Dakota on Feb. 18 2023.
 
Valdosta State already has some game experience this season, taking on Florida State on Sunday where they fell to the Seminoles 90-67. The Blazers outrebounded the Noles 44-42 in that contest, with graduate student Jay Rucker hauling in eight first half rebounds before finishing with ten. Graduate student LaTrell Tate led the Blazers in scoring, finishing with 15 points. Williams was a spark plug off the bench for VSU, scoring 10 points, grabbing eight rebounds, and swiping three steals in 26 minutes off the bench.
 
Valdosta State basketball head coach Mike Helfer is in his 19^th season leading the Blazers, boasting a record of 349-175 (.666) in Titletown. Last season, coach Helfer's offense ranked 10^th in the nation in scoring offense, putting up an astounding 85.6 points per game. To go along with that, the team averaged 9.6 made threes per game, which ranked 27^th.
 
Valdosta State returns four crucial pieces from last year's squad. Senior Lee Flenor is coming off a shortened campaign, where the Miami native only appeared in one game last season due to injury. Fellow senior Mike Isler is also coming back to Titletown, having averaged 2.8 points on 58.1% shooting in 21 games played. Graduate student Jay Rucker will be returning for a graduate season. Having started in 28 of 31 games last season, Rucker led the team in blocks and boards, swatting away 35 shots and grabbing 5.8 rebounds per game.  Junior Caden Boser will be the final returnee, as the Eau Claire, Wisconsin native put up 12.5 points on 49.3% from the field and 42.6% from beyond the arc. Boser also secured 4.6 rebounds per game and shot 85.5% from the charity stripe.
 
Valdosta State leads the all-time series versus Fort Valley State 12-1, dating back to 2010. Both teams matched up last season in Pensacola, Fla., where the Blazers took home the victory 85-58 thanks to 23 points from former Blazer Jacolbey Owens. Rucker was a big contributor as well, putting up 18 points on 8-10 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. VSU is currently on a five-game win streak versus the Wildcats, beginning Nov. 10, 2018.
 
Fort Valley State, who finished last season with a 13-16 overall record, was picked to finish fifth in Eastern Division of the SIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Rankings. Just ahead of them is who the Blazers will play on Saturday, as Clark Atlanta was selected fourth in the Eastern Division.
 
The Blazers and the Panthers have played two times in their history, with Valdosta State emerging victorious last season in Pensacola, Fla., with an 80-60 victory to even the series at 1-1. Former Blazer Mohamed Fofana put up a team high 19 points on 7-11 shooting, while Boser chipped in 15 points and seven boards. Rucker did the dirty work, grabbing four offensive rebounds, swatting three shots, and getting a steal.
 
Clark Atlanta also was picked to finish fourth in the East Division of the SIAC Men's Basketball Preseason Rankings. Sophomore Jalen Williams was selected to the 2023-2024 Men's Basketball Preseason First Team. Williams put up 15.0 points and led the team with 6.0 rebounds and 2.6 assists as a true freshman last season.
 
The Blazers will host their season opener on Thursday, Nov. 16, versus Clinton College at 7 p.m. at The Complex.