Mike Helfer
Coach Mike Helfer has been coaching in the professional ranks since 1989, where he got an assistant coaching job at his alma mater, Capital University. After two years on staff there, he was brought on as an assistant at Kent State, a mid-major Division I program. He would work there through 1994-95, after which he would move on to Grand Valley State, a one-year stop on his career path. After paying his dues at these various stops, Coach Helfer got his first head coaching job at Southern Polytechnic State University.
While his first two seasons finished with mediocre records, the program was due for a quick ascention. After going 14-18 in the 1998-99 season, the Running Hornets rampaged to a 28-7 record in 1999-00, winning the Southern States Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships, and advancing to the NAIA Sweet Sixteen. The next season was more of the same, as Souther Polytechnic advanced to the same round of the tournament and won another SSAC tournament title. In his eight years at the school, Coach Helfer won three SSAC titles, both regular season and tournament, while accumulating 186 wins with a .691 winning percentage. In addition, his team made the NAIA tournament five times, with three of them culminating in Sweet Sixteen trips. After the 2004-05 season, in which the Running Hornets went 32-4 and Coach Helfer was awarded both SSAC and Basketball Times’ NAIA Coach of the Year awards, he would leave Southern Polytechnic and head south to Valdosta State University.
The Helfer effect at Valdosta State was immediate. In the previous season, VSU averaged 68 points per game. After Coach Helfer took the reins of the program, the Blazers improved to 83.5 points per game and posted a 17-11 record. They would follow that season up with another step forward, as the Blazers improved to 20-9 and made the NCAA Tournament, the third appearance in program history, on the back of another strong offensive season. After the 2007-08 season, where the Blazers had to replace three letterwinners from that Tournament team, Coach Helfer had VSU right back in the thick of the national spotlight with a 24-7 record and another trip to the NCAA Tournament, despite four starters from the previous year’s squad leaving.
This would be the overall theme of Coach Helfer’s time at Valdosta State: success. In his 18 years at the school, he has only posted three losing seasons, while eclipsing 20 wins on eight separate occasions. In addition, while VSU had only made two NCAA Tournament appearances before Helfer took over, he has led the program to eight appearances, including a run to the Elite Eight in 2009-10. He also won five straight regular season Gulf South Conference titles, culminating in a tournament title in 2020-21. As of this writing, he has 331 wins at Valdosta State and a .671 winning percentage, cementing himself as one of the most successful coaches in the Division II ranks today.
Jay Rucker
A 6-8 junior from Atlanta, GA, Jay Rucker played three seasons at Emanuel College before transferring to Valdosta State for the 2022-23 season. While at Emanuel, Rucker was a consistent contributor to the team, playing a solid role in his freshman season. After playing the role of bench player that year, he became a 2-year starter for the next two seasons, contributing 7.8 points and 6 rebounds in COVID sophomore season, as well as 10.5 points and 5.6 rebounds his sophomore season. After transferring to VSU, Rucker maintained his numbers from his previous seasons, solidifying himself as VSU’s starting center.
Caden Boser
From Eau Claire, Wisconsin, Caden Boser played two seasons at Division I University of Missouri-Kansas City. He was a bench contributor, starting three games over the two seasons while serving as one of the main shooters on the team. Boser transferred to VSU for the 2022-23 season, where he averaged 12.5 points and 4.6 rebounds. On top of that, he shot 42.5% from three point range, leading the team in that category.
Cam Hamilton
A four-year contributor for the Blazers, Cam Hamilton spent two years at UNC Pembroke, where he redshirted for a year and then came off the bench in his other season. Transferring in to VSU for the 2019-20 season, Hamilton became an immediate contributor for the team, averaging 8.6 points in 16.6 minutes per game. He would become a frequent starter in his next three seasons, starting 60 of 80 games he played in. In his VSU career, he averaged 11.4 points and 1.6 assists while hitting 38.8% of his threes and racking up 198 career steals.
Jacolbey Owens
Jacolby Owens played for two seasons at Gulf Coast Community College, where he started 49 games and averaged 14.2 points per game. In addition, he helped guide the team to a FCSAA and NJCAA District VIII championship. After winning the title, Owens transferred to VSU, where he served as a spot starter for one season and then became the team’s starting point guard for the next two seasons. He played an integral role in VSU’s GSC championship in the 2020-21 season, averaging 12.2 points and 3.5 assists per game. In his three seasons playing for the Blazers, he, in total, averaged 14.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game, while shooting 45.9% from the field and 36.6% from three.