The Blazers basketball team began the start to the upcoming season with their first official practice in the VSU Complex on Tuesday evening. Head Coach Mike Helfer enters his 17th season at the helm and will continue to operate under the run-and-gun system that has made the Blazers feared in the Gulf South Conference. But there’s one caveat. There are ...

Former VSU Blazer guard Chris Longoria has signed with Pro Team Galitos-Barreiro out of the Portugal Basketball League, announced by the team on Wednesday. The contract is a one-year deal with the team. The amount has not been announced. Longoria credits the deal to his agent Andre Ajipa of AGV Illicit Sports. “I’ve played pro for 3 years and with ...

The Lady Blazers rebound nicely. VSU Athletic Director Herb Reinhard announced May 4 of the hiring of Deandra Schirmer as the next women’s basketball coach at VSU. Schirmer replaces former head coach Carley Kuhns, who recently took the vacant head coaching position at Division I Samford University. For the last five years, Schirmer has been an assistant coach at Eckerd ...

Bent down, usually at the end of the Blazers’ bench, is an observant. Observing the screens, cuts and movements of his team, head coach Mike Helfer is a student of the game. For 14 years, Helfer has coached the Blazers, averaging 20 wins a season. Since 2017, the Blazers have made an appearance in the NCAA tournament. In the Gulf ...

As March Madness comes to a close, fans of the VSU Lady Blazers basketball team are left wondering about the team’s future as it sits out this year’s NCAA tournament. The snub follows the Lady Blazers’ loss in the GSC tourney to Lee University at the Gulf South Conference in Birmingham, Alabama. The Lady Blazers put up a strong fight ...

Different year, same result. For the third straight season the Blazers won the regular season Gulf South Conference championship. And for the third straight season the Blazers left the GSC tournament empty handed along with being eliminated in the first round of the national tournament. Now with seven seniors graduating, including star guard Beau Justice, the Blazers’ future is in ...

Year in and year out, the Blazers are one of the supreme squads in Division II hoops. The fine basketball acumen of Head Coach Mike Helfer coupled with a typically elite roster should be the ultimate mix for a national title. It’s not. On March 16, the Blazers lost 95-87 to West Alabama in the first round of the NCAA ...

After losing in the Gulf South Conference semifinals, the Blazers were selected to compete in the NCAA tournament, announced March 10 by the NCAA. For the season, VSU is 26-4. The Blazers have won three straight GSC regular season titles, sharing the title with West Alabama. VSU and UWA tied for a 16-4 record in conference matchups. The Blazers defeated ...

Imitation is the highest form of flattery. On Saturday, that imitation turned into a loss for the third straight season in the conference tournament. Delta State simply outgunned the Blazers in their semifinal matchup. VSU shot 22.2% from deep to Delta’s 46.7% in their 70-69 loss in Birmingham, Ala. The game went wire to wire but it came down to ...

Now that the stage is set, VSU teams can take the spotlight as they compete against one another in the 2019 intramural basketball championships. Championship Night, hosted by Campus Recreation, will be an opportunity for students to compete in activities and contests, including a three-point shootout, slam dunk contest and half-court shot competitions. A DJ will be present as well. ...