VALDOSTA, Ga. - Valdosta State men's basketball head coach Mike Helfer has been named one of Silver Waves Media's Top 50 Most Impactful NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Head Coaches. This is yet another accolade to add to a very impressive coaching career which has spanned nearly 30 years.

Helfer is in his 22nd season as head coach of the Blazers for 2026-27 and has made Valdosta State a consistent contender in the Gulf South Conference and NCAA Division II over that time. His first 21 seasons in Titletown have seen him post a 404-209 record, including 17 winning seasons, eight seasons of 20 wins or more and nine NCAA Tournament appearances.

Under Helfer, the Blazers have picked up seven GSC regular season titles. In 2021 they captured their first ever GSC Tournament Championship.

Helfer's impact is also evident in the individual success of the players who have competed under his tutelage. He had four All-Americans during his time there with Tyrone Curnell being the two-time honoree, along with a number of South Region Players of the Year and Gulf South Conference Players of the Year. There have been All-South Region and All-GSC selections in nearly every season of his tenure. Most recently Drew Mills earned All-GSC honors for the 2025-26 season and Blaise Wallace was named to the 2026-27 Preseason All-GSC Team. 

One of the high points of Helfer's time at VSU was the 2009-10 season when the Blazers posted a school record of 28 wins and made it to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight. VSU peaked at No. 2 in the nation that year and that remains one of the high points of Helfer's tenure.

Helfer has also hit a number of individual coaching milestones during his time at VSU. He notched his 300th win at VSU during the 2019-20 season and became the second coach in program history to reach 400 wins at Valdosta State, achieving that in the 2025-26 season. He also reached his 500th career victory in 2021, becoming the first coach in the history of the program to do so in his 27th season as a collegiate head coach.

Before he arrived at Valdosta State, Helfer had spent eight seasons at Southern Polytechnic State University where he compiled a 186-86 record and three SSC regular season and tournament titles. His final season at Southern Polytechnic (2004-05) was a 32-4 season, a No. 1 national ranking and a trip to the NAIA National Tournament Sweet Sixteen.

The Silver Waves Media recognition also underlines Helfer's continued success and impact in collegiate basketball, and the winning culture he's continued to build at Valdosta State.

Complete Top 50 List 


Stay up to date on all Blazer Athletics news by downloading the Blazer mobile app for exclusive content, gameday notifications, schedules, rosters and more. Fans can also follow @VState_Blazers on Instagram and X and like the Valdosta State Blazers Facebook page.