VALDOSTA, Ga. – The Valdosta State men's basketball team opens their 2024-25 campaign on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7 p.m. versus the Wildcats of Fort Valley State in the GSC/SIAC Basketball Challenge. Following Friday night's game, Valdosta State will host Clark Atlanta on Saturday, Nov. 9 at 5 p.m.
 
Fans can access links to live stats and audio/video streaming of the game at vstateblazers.com on the men's basketball schedule page.  The games also will be broadcast on 94.3 FM, WJEM Fox Sports Valdosta, and Talk 92.1 WDDQ FM while listening online at www.foxsportsvaldosta.com and talk92.1.com with Mike Chason having the call.
 
This year, all Blazer basketball home and GSC home and away games will be streamed on FloCollege.  On Oct. 15, 2024, FloSports, the official streaming partner of the Gulf South Conference, launched FloCollege, a new college sports streaming platform designed to elevate underserved NCAA Division II and Division III athletics while serving Division-I fans at scale. FloCollege will feature 12 NCAA conferences with more than 12,000 live games for the 2024-25 season.
 
GSC fans with active paid subscriptions purchased in the fall, will receive access to FloCollege at no added cost, while new subscribers who sign-up on can expect to pay $19.99 per month or $107.88 per year ($8.99/month). Subscribers who use an .edu email from a member institution will be able to sign up at a discounted subscription price of $9.99 per month or $71.88 for the year ($5.99/month). Fans can subscribe now by visiting FloCollege.com or the GSC/FloSports Landing Page.
 
Head coach Mike Helfer is in his 20^th year at the helm of Blazer basketball, as he has compiled 361 wins and seven Gulf South Conference regular season titles. 2023-24 was a rare down year for VSU, as it was the just the third time Valdosta State has finished under .500 with Helfer at the reigns. Coming into the season, the Blazers were selected to tie for fifth in the GSC Preseason Coaches' Poll. Since taking over at VSU, coach Helfer is 15-4 in season openers.
 
Coach Helfer welcomes back senior Braxton Williams and graduate student JC Clausi from last year's squad. Williams played some great stretches of ball for the Blazers, as the guard averaged 10.6 points a game for the red and black on .381/.293/.800 splits. The Thomasville, Ala. native was named GSC Player of the Week on 12/5 when he put up a season-high 30 points versus Mississippi College.
 
Titletown added ten fresh faces to the roster, as coach Helfer welcomes a flurry of guys from all over the country. Carlos Hart, MJ Jones, and Drew Mills were all named to the GSC Newcomer Watchlist. Junior Carlos Hart joins the Blazers from Division I University of New Orleans, where the Miami, Fla. native played in 32 games while starting in five. Hart averaged 18.3 minutes per game and scored 6.7 points per contest. Defensively, the guard tallied 20 steals and 11 blocks for the Privateers. Fellow junior guard MJ Jones joins Valdosta State in 2024-25 from Shelton State Community College. The Pelham, Ala. native lit it up for the Bucs in 2023-24, as he put up 14.5 points a night on .431/.396/.815 clip in 27 starts while nearly averaging two steals a game. The final Blazer named to the Newcomer Watch List was junior Drew Mills, who joins VSU from Howard Community College up in Columbia, Md. The forward started in 57 of 60 games across two seasons, as Mills averaged 15.2 PPG on .499 from the floor. The Baltimore, Md. Native has been known to attack the glass as he averaged 7.6 rebounds over his two-year career. Last season, Mills was a defensive menace, averaging 1.8 blocks and 1.7 steals a night for the Dragons on top of being named two-time Maryland Juco player of the year.
 
On Friday night at 7 p.m., Valdosta State clashes with Fort Valley State, who went 7-21 last season. The Wildcats are led by head coach Montez Robinson, who enters his fourth year at the helm with an overall record of 27-49 at FVSU. Prior to Fort Valley State, Robison had stops at UT Martin and Alcorn, we he totaled 77 wins in six seasons across the two schools. Last season, the Blazers and Wildcats battled in an overtime thriller, as VSU was able to take a 74-70 win. Dating back to 1986, Valdosta State is 21-2 versus Fort Valley State all-time.
 
On Saturday night at 5 p.m., Valdosta State will welcome Clark Atlanta for the final game of the weekend. The Panthers are coming off a stellar 2023-24 year, where CAU won their sixth SIAC Title and an automatic bid in the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament, where they fell to Florida Southern in the first round. Head coach Alfred Jordan is in his third season at Clark Atlanta, where he holds an overall record of 33-26. Senior big man Kharye Cayne was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year and Second Team All-Conference for the Panthers, while Shemani Fuller and Martez Jones were selected to the SIAC First Team All-Conference. Valdosta State is 3-2 all-time versus Clark Atlanta dating back to 2005.
 
On top of these two games, West Florida will be taking on Clark Atlanta on Friday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m. followed by a game against Fort Valley State on Saturday. Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. at The Complex.
 
Following this weekend, the Blazers will continue to host at home, as they welcome Morehouse College on Tuesday, Nov. 12 at 8 p.m. at The Complex.