When you ask Mike Helfer about his 20 years at VSU it is quickly evident that he has truly enjoyed his time in Titletown. The Blazer head basketball coach says his tenure has been rewarding. "The people, the relationships plus the way this athletic department has been run over the years, like a DI program, have made my 20 years very rewarding".

Blazer basketball has enjoyed considerable success under Helfer's guidance highlighted by eight NCAA Tournament appearances, seven Gulf South Conference regular season titles and a record 22 consecutive conference wins during the 2019-20 and 20-21 seasons. Helfer's 365 wins is second in VSU history, he is sixth on the GSC career win list and he has been named conference coach of the year four times.

The Newark, Ohio native grew up in an athletic household full of Ohio State fans. His siblings excelled in swimming, volleyball and soccer and Mike played high school football in addition to basketball. In fact, his favorite sport memory is his 12 catch,140-yard two touchdown performance in a state semifinal win his junior year. Helfer was a point guard at Ohio's Capital University when he first started thinking about a coaching career. "After graduating from Capital I stayed on as a volunteer coach for two years and painted houses to pay the bills", explains Helfer. "I was a lot better painter than coach at that point. I had joined a crew that had been painting houses for 30 years and they taught me the ropes" he adds. After Capital, Mike was a graduate assistant at Kent State before assistant coach roles at Kent State and Grand Valley propelled him to his first head job at NAIA Southern Poly. His success in Atlanta at Southern Poly brought the Blazers calling when VSU head coach Jim Yarbrough left for a DI job. 

Of his 360 plus Blazer wins Mike says a 2010 home win over number one ranked Augusta stands out as his favorite. "That game had everything; great crowd, tremendous atmosphere, a back and forth win over the nation's number one team and our fans storming the court at the final buzzer. That win has always meant a lot to me because of the joy and pride you saw from our fans after the game especially from the students", Helfer says.

VSU's basketball home, "The Complex", holds a special place in Mike's heart. "It is an outstanding facility, a huge part of our program and it has provided us with a terrific home court advantage over the years", Helfer explains. "You have to start with a great facility, take care of the facility and then work hard to provide fans with a great experience and VSU has done all those things. The Complex and our home game environment are incredibly important in our recruiting", he adds. 

Mike is a big fan of DII for giving him the opportunity to be very involved with his family. "If I was coaching at the DI level I don't think I would be nearly as able to be as involved with them as I am. There is simply not enough time. One of the things I enjoy is taking spur of the moment trips with Lindsey and the kids. Down the road Chase, Bax, Max and Sammy Tate are probably not going to remember the Nikes that we bought but I do think they will remember the trips we have taken. DII is special in that you can have a family and be a coach and be good at both and that is very important to me", Mike explains.

Mike looks back at what VSU was able to accomplish during the Covid pandemic with pride. "What we did was pretty incredible. It was a total team effort from the entire athletic department that allowed us to have a basketball season, have home games and even host a NCAA regional tournament. There are very few schools that could have done what we did and everyone that was part of that effort should be proud". 

Mike says that social media is perhaps the biggest change he has seen in the game. "Prior to social media you could work hard in recruiting and uncover that diamond in the rough that no one else was aware of. That is certainly no longer the case. Now if a high school or junior college kid has a good game every coach in the southeast is aware and if a player is having a good season every coach in the country is aware". 

So how does Mike sum up his 20 years with the Blazers? "I'm just proud. I'm proud of the program we have built. I'm proud of the young men that have been part of Blazer basketball and I'm proud to be part of an outstanding athletic program. I'm also really excited about the future". 

Helfer and his 4-1 Blazers will host Thomas University on Tuesday, Nov. 26 at The Complex.