Author: christian.malone@gaflnews.com

VALDOSTA — Mike Helfer, who won 186 games in eight seasons as head coach at Southern Polytechnic State University, has been named head coach at Valdosta State, succeeding Jim Yarbrough.

Helfer, who last year led Southern Poly to a 32-4 record and its second straight conference championship, will take charge of the Blazer program next week after he finishes working a basketball camp in Ohio.

The sixth head coach in VSU’s 50-plus year men’s basketball history will be officially introduced at a press conference at some point after he arrives next week.

A graduate of Capital (Ohio) University, Helfer made assistant coaching stops at Capital, Kent State and Grand Valley State before getting the head job at Southern Poly in 1997. After posting a .500 record his first two seasons, he compiled a 156-49 mark (.761) over his last six years, including three Sweet 16 appearances in the NAIA national tournament.

Last season, the Hornets won both the regular season and conference tournament titles and received the school’s first ever No. 1 national ranking during the year.

“We are extremely excited to add Mike to the Valdosta State athletic department as our new men’s basketball coach,” Valdosta State athletic director Herb Reinhard said. “We were tremendously impressed with his record as a coach. He is a very exciting addition to our basketball program.”

Helfer won the job over a strong field of finalists, including Armstrong Atlantic State head coach Jeff Burkhamer and Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College head coach Todd Sheppard, who was Yarbrough’s top assistant from 2000 to 2003. Another finalist, current associate head coach Jeff Daniels, withdrew his name from consideration earlier this week.

Helfer inherits a team that returns five major contributors from last year’s 18-9 club which finished fourth in the eastern division of the Gulf South Conference and lost in the first round of the league tournament.

“Mike is going to take what is already a fine basketball program and just to add to it,” Reinhard said.

Yarbrough, who had a 97-42 record in five seasons, including VSU’s first two GSC East championships, left Valdosta State in late June to become the head coach at Southeastern Louisiana.

Story retreived from Valdosta Daily Times