Entering his fifth season as the leader of the Valdosta State basketball program, Mike Helfer has established a winning attitude and philosophy of excellence among his players.

After all, during his first four years with the school, Helfer has directed his team to a pair of NCAA South Region Tournament appearances as well as a Gulf South Conference East Division title in 2008-09, just the third time in school history that the Blazers finished first in the league's division. Along the way, Helfer has compiled a 79-38 record and has seen his players compile numerous honors.

Helfer's ability to teach the game of basketball was never more evident than last season, when in addition to the GSC East Division title and a NCAA South Regional appearance, he led his squad to a 24-7 record, despite losing four starters from the year ago. The squad, which featured 10 new players, went 9-3 in conference play and advanced to the championship game of the league tournament. Helfer's direction helped several Blazers earn, led by Tyrone Curnell, who earned All-America status from the National Association of Basketball Coaches while also being named to the All-Gulf South Conference squad. Curnell and Ricardo Lewis each earned GSC All-Tournament honors during the season while Helfer was named the GSC East Division Coach of the Year at the conclusion of the season.

Helfer inherited a team that averaged 68.0 points a game in 2004-05 and led it to a 17-11 mark while averaging 83.5 points a game in 2005-06, his first season at the helm of the Blazers. Helfer's first squad went 7-7 in Gulf South Conference play and finished tied for fourth in the league's East Division. Two of Helfer's players, Jon Rogers (First) and Michael Crane (Second), were named to the All-GSC team while Rogers also earned All-GSC Tournament honors after VSU advanced to the tournament's quarterfinals.

Helfer followed his first year of success by leading the Blazers to the third NCAA appearance in school history in 2006-07. The Blazers were 20-9 overall on the year and finished 8-4 in the Gulf South Conference, tallying a second-place showing in the league standings. His tutelage led to three Blazers earning All-GSC honors, with Herman Burge earning a nod on the first team while Mike Crain and Devario Hudson were honored on the second team. The Blazers were 24th in the nation in scoring at 82.3 points per game and school records for most three-pointers in a game with 18 as well as in a season with 261.

After losing three starters and seven letterwinners off of his 2006-07 team, Helfer once again built a winning program in 2007-08 as he led his squad to an 18-11 mark. His team battled to a second place finish in the GSC East Division with an 8-4 mark while two Blazers, Hudson and Ricky Coleman, earned first-team All-GSC honors for the first time since the league began distinguishing between a first and second team members in 1997. VSU advanced to the semifinals of the GSC Tournament while averaging 77.0 points a game on the year.

For those that have tracked Helfer's career, the success at VSU comes as little surprise. Before taking over the reigns at Valdosta State, Helfer enjoyed a successful eight-year run at Southern Polytechnic State University, where he compiled 186 wins, an average of 23 wins a year, and 83 losses, a .691 winning percentage. Additionally, his squads won three Southern States Athletic Conference regular season and tournament championships and finished the 2004-05 season, his last at the school, ranked No. 2 in the nation.

During the 2004-05 season, Helfer directed his Running Hornets team to a 32-4 record and the NAIA National Tournament's Sweet Sixteen. SPSU won both the regular season and tournament titles for the SSAC and earned the school's first ever No. 1 national ranking on February 8. After the season, Helfer was named the SSAC Coach-of-the-Year and earned Basketball Times' NAIA Coach-of-the-Year award.

The Running Hornets also won the SSAC regular season crown in 2003-04, finishing the year with a 24-10 record and a trip to the NAIA national tournament. SPSU was 21-11 in 2002-03 after going 27-6 and advancing to the NAIA national tournament in 2001-02.

Helfer's first two seasons at Southern Polytechnic were his only two non-winning seasons, as he went 16-16 in 1997-98 and 14-18 in 1998-99. He rebounded to lead the team to a 28-7 mark in 1999-00 while claiming his first SSAC regular season and tournament championships. SPSU advanced to the NAIA Sweet 16 that season, a feat also accomplished in 2000-01 when the team tallied a 24-11 record and a SSAC tournament championship.

Helfer received numerous honors while at Southern Polytechnic as he was named the Atlanta Tip-off Club's NAIA Coach-of-the-Year for both the 2000-01 and 2001-02 seasons. He was also named the Southern States Athletic Conference's Coach-of-the-Year in 1999-00 while also earning the conference's All Men's Sports Coach-of-the-Year that same year.

Prior to his time as a head coach, Helfer spent seven years as an assistant coach. He began his career at his alma mater, Division III Capital University, where he served as an assistant for two years. Upon leaving Capital, Helfer joined the coaching staff of Division I Kent State in 1991 and worked with the school through the 1994-95 season. He also served as an assistant with Division II Grand Valley State during the 1996-97 season, helping the Lakers to a 23-6 record and the NCAA Division II tournament.

A three-time letterwinner, Helfer served as team captain for Capital as a senior during the 1988-89 season and was named the team's most improved player following the 1987-88 year. He was also a star athlete in high school as he excelled in football, basketball and track.

Helfer is married to the former Kathy Driscoll of Atlanta. The couple has one child, born in September 2007.