Mr. 500: Valdosta State's Mike Helfer observes coaching milestone

Feb. 26—PART I

After 24 years, Mike Helfer hit a momentous milestone in his coaching career.

In his 16th season as head coach at Valdosta State, Helfer achieved 500 career wins on Feb. 12 — leading the Blazers to a 91-87 triumph over the Auburn Montgomery Warhawks.

According to the veteran coach, attaining milestones has never been his focus. Helfer insists his efforts have always been geared toward winning games and proving himself year after year.

Though Helfer finds the mark particularly sweet, he credits all of the players and coaches he has worked with that helped him get there.

"I think when you start coaching, you're just so thankful to be a head coach and get your first head coaching job," Helfer said. "I don't think you ever think about milestones or whatever. You're just trying to win your first year and prove that you can do it.

"As you do it for multiple years, it's not one thing that gets you to 500 — it's recruiting, it's places you work, it's your administration, it's your assistant coaches. All of that factors into making it to a number like that. Am I happy to get there? Obviously, because I think longevity is one thing that's important."

Less than 20 hours after winning No. 500, Helfer notched No. 501 as the Blazers clipped the Warhawks again with emphasis — winning 101-84.

Prior to becoming 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 under his college coach Dave Cecutti.

Upon leaving Capital, Helfer joined the coaching staff of Division I Kent State in 1991 and served on the Golden Flashes' staff until the end of the 1994-95 season. He also served as an assistant under Jay Smith at Division II Grand Valley State during the 1996-97 season, helping the Lakers to a 23-6 record and the NCAA Division II tournament.

"I played at Capitol and when I got done playing, I felt like if I had to go to the stands, I might as well go to the first row," Helfer said of how his career began. "I just always wanted to be a coach and always wanted to be in a position where I could teach the game. As a player, I was always one that was trying to learn as much as I possibly could and then I wanted to get into teaching it.

"I just liked the dynamics of college more so than high school because the recruiting was always something I was interested in. When I became an assistant coach right away, that was something I wanted to do."

Helfer refers to Cecutti and Smith as mentors and key influences in his life.

Cecutti most recently served as the commissioner of the Ohio Capital Conference for 13 years before stepping down on June 1, 2020.

"He was the head coach at Capital my sophomore, junior and senior year and he really just had a positive influence on my life," Helfer said. "Not only as a coach, but as a person. That's one thing in coaching you realize that it's more than just the basketball part of it.

Smith now works for Juwan Howard at Michigan, where he serves as the Director of Player Personnel and Development for the Wolverines.

"I still talk to Jay once a week to this day and it's probably been 20 years since I worked for him, if not a little bit longer," Helfer said.

Getting to 500 wins, much less one win, as head coach almost never happened for Helfer.

While Helfer was at Grand Valley, Smith took a job at Central Michigan to be the head coach of the Chippewas. After Smith's departure, Helfer interviewed for the head coaching job at Grand Valley and didn't get it.

Being denied his first head coaching job led Helfer to move to Atlanta with his sights set on becoming a State Farm agent. His sister was an agent and he had contacted State Farm about becoming an agent.

According to Helfer, that's when his career took shape.

Upon his move to Atlanta, a head coaching opportunity opened at Southern Poly around the same time.

"I got really fortunate to get the Southern Poly job," Helfer said. "I took a program at Southern Poly that was an engineering school. What we did on the basketball floor was really amazing. There were no P.E. classes. There was nothing easy. Every class there was tough. It was hard, but it was also fun and rewarding when we got to where we eventually ended up."

Helfer, 53, has been a head coach for the last 24 years — getting his first head coaching job at Southern Polytechnic State University in Marietta back in 1997. During his time at Southern Poly, Helfer turned the NAIA program into a national power; amassing 186 wins, five NAIA Division I national tournament appearances, three Sweet Sixteen berths, three regular season Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) championships and three SSAC Tournament titles.

Not only did his teams win, Helfer was named SSAC Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2005 as well as earning Basketball Times' National Coach of the Year in 2005 after leading the Running Hornets to a 32-4 record and an NAIA National Tournament Sweet Sixteen appearance.

In 2005, then-Blazers coach Jim Yarbrough took a job at Southeast Louisiana University, creating a coveted coaching vacancy.

Following his best season yet as a head coach, Helfer decided to broaden his horizons — it was time to make a power move.

On Aug. 3, 2005, Helfer won the job over former Armstrong Atlantic State and current West Florida head coach Jeff Burkhamer and ABAC head coach Todd Sheppard — who was Yarbrough's top assistant from 2000-03.

"Obviously, Valdosta State was a bigger job — a bigger school, a bigger conference and a step up to Division II (from NAIA)," Helfer said of leaving Southern Poly to come to VSU. "I just wanted that challenge and I had a lot of respect for Valdosta State. I knew Valdosta State very well. Having been up in Marietta, you'd read about them and you'd hear about them. When that job opened up, I applied for it and got very fortunate that Dr. (Ronald) Zaccari and Herb hired me."