It took a furious comeback and an extra period to settle it, but Valdosta State prevailed over Johnson C. Smith in a 91-85 overtime win Saturday night. The Blazers (4-0) trailed by as many as 12 in the second half but timely defensive adjustments by VSU head coach Mike Helfer and shot-making from junior guard Jalen Crawford turned momentum in ...

Written by: Shane Thomas  The VSU men’s basketball team looks to move to 4-0 when they host undefeated (5-0) Johnson C. Smith Golden Bulls on Saturday. Following Sunday’s win over Carver Bible, Blazers head coach Mike Helfer believes his team can be better than what they’ve shown. “You can’t have any mental lapses,” Helfer said. “I feel like we went ...

Valdosta State (3-0) used an explosive second-half surge to knock off Carver Bible (2-6) 107-80 on Sunday afternoon. The Blazers outscored the Cougars 61-38 in second half behind the play of senior guard Jeremy McKay and sophomore Blake Justice. The duo combined for 33 points in the second half, including seven three-pointers to blow the game open. Justice scored a ...

The Valdosta State men’s basketball team held on to defeat the Florida Memorial Lions 73-69 Saturday night, improving to 2-0 on the season. The Blazers led by as many 14 points and led 42-33 at halftime despite committing 11 turnovers. The Blazers struggled offensively in the second half, making just eight-of-24 attempts. The Lions (0-3) used the Blazers’ misses and ...

Written by: Shane Thomas / Photo contributed by: Dowling Payne   Following a 97-58 win over Trinity Baptist in Monday’s opener, the VSU men’s basketball team will host Florida Memorial on Saturday in the first of two weekend games. In the opener, the Blazers made 13 of 27 beyond the arc, attempted 37 free throws and out-rebounded the Eagles 43-36. ...

The Valdosta State men’s basketball team overcame a sluggish first half and outscored Trinity Baptist 60-22 in the second half en route to a 97-58 win in its season opener. The Blazers (1-0) shot 59 percent in the second half and 7-of-11 three-pointers to blow the game open behind the hot shooting of Preseason All-GSC forward David Murray. Murray scored ...

Written by: Eric Jackson  Jalen Crawford slides off a down screen to find some wiggle room in the corner of the floor during practice. After inhaling a crisp pass from one of his new teammates, Jalen doesn’t hesitate.  At the peak of his leap the ball releases off his fingertips  almost picturesquely- he  assuredly stares at the ball in mid-air ...

Written by: Shane Thomas  The VSU men’s basketball team opens its season Monday against the Trinity Baptist Eagles.  The Blazers have 11 new players around Preseason All-Gulf South Conference forward David Murray, forward Colin Cook and guard Dylan Nsiah.  Head coach Mike Helfer admits he is excited to start the season but warns that his team still has room to ...

written by: Shane Thomas The Valdosta State men’s basketball team will have 11 new players this season around returners David Murray, Colin Cook and Dylan Nsiah.   The Blazers were picked to finish fifth in the Gulf South Conference in the Preseason Coaches’ Poll. Picked to finish sixth in the conference in 2012-13, the Blazers went on to have a 19-10 ...

written by: Shane Thomas  The Valdosta State men’s basketball team took the floor for its first official practice on Monday, led by senior forward David Murray who was named Preseason All-Gulf South Conference over the weekend.  Murray enters this season as the lone returning starter from last season, a season in which the Blazers finished 19-10 and advanced to the ...