Greensburg C.C. grad Geoffrey Helm gets new life in basketball with PAC champion Chatham

Geoffrey Helm’s path in college basketball veered from what he originally had mapped out.

He envisioned a standout career at Shippensburg, one of the top Division II men’s programs in the region.

Instead, the Greensburg Central Catholic grad came home to the Pittsburgh area and won a championship with the Chatham men.

“It was kind of a leap of faith,” Helm said about his decision to transfer to Chatham in December 2022. “I really didn’t know what was going to happen because everything in the past was so uncertain.

“It ended up being one of the best decisions I had made in my life.”

Now Helm, a 6-foot-6 guard, is hoping he and the Cougars can lift the Presidents’ Athletic Conference championship trophy for the second straight season. Chatham entered the holiday break at 5-2 in the PAC, winning four straight conference games after dropping two of its first three.

Helm, listed as a senior, had appeared in all 12 games, starting two, and averaged 7.3 points while shooting 40% from 3-point range (22 of 55). He scored in double figures in four games, including 12 against Mount Union, the No. 5 team in Division III at the time.

“We loved Geoff out of high school,” Cougars coach Dave Richards said, “but he got the scholarship offer from Shippensburg, and that’s tough to turn down. But we always knew Geoff was a very good shooter. We’re an offense that takes a lot of 3s, and that skill set fit us very well.”

When Helm entered his freshman season at Shippensburg, he did it with a realistic attitude. Getting playing time as a freshman would be hard enough, but it would be even harder on a team that already had talented veterans such as Dom Sleva, Jake Biss and Carlos Carter.

Helm accepted that notion and, when he was redshirted, took it in stride. He kept his mouth shut, put his head down and worked. He figured in a year, maybe two, his time would come.

“Coming from high school, you’re the man,” he said. “You’re the guy. And you get to college, and everyone is on the same level. Everyone’s the guy. Everyone (averaged) 20 points a game. I knew that going in.”

But the roadblocks kept appearing.

The following season, 2020-21, of course, was scrapped because of the pandemic. Helm figured his time might finally come in the 2021-22 season, but, because the NCAA allowed athletes an extra year of eligibility in the wake of the previous season being canceled, many of those same players who had blocked Helm’s path previously were still on the roster.

On top of that, Helm was asked to switch positions. A natural guard despite his height, Helm started practicing more at the “four” position. To further compound his burdens, Helm’s season was hampered by a severe ankle injury.

Those factors limited him to eight games, and he never played more than nine minutes in any of them.

His college career was at a crossroads. And the clock was ticking.

“I was like, it’s been three-and-a-half years. I’ve been coming in, giving it my all,” he said. “If you’re not going to play me, that’s fine. But this was at a time period where I really wanted to play college basketball, and I only had so many years of eligibility left. So I started looking.”

The search began after the 2023-24 basketball season had begun, and Helm ultimately would transfer in early December.

He first looked at Allegheny because Bob Simmons and his staff had recruited him heavily out of high school. Pat Martinelli was an assistant with the Gators during Helm’s initial recruitment but, in the meantime, he had become an assistant at Chatham.

Martinelli and Helm had developed a strong rapport, so Helm was confident Martinelli could bring out his best.

“That whole process was really quick, but it was a decision that I made because I knew Pat would focus on me and would help me grow as a player,” Helm said. “He would help me be able to get some of those guard skills back I used in the past. I knew how he recruited me in the past, and I knew he cared about me as a person, not just a basketball player.”

Helm’s guard skills did return. More importantly, his confidence returned.

Richards and his staff encouraged Helm to look for his shot, to not be afraid of making a mistake. Richards said he knew Helm had the skill set to help the Cougars, and he didn’t want him to be afraid to use it.

“He was a big part of our championship run last year,” Richards said. “He had some big games for us. This year, he’s way more comfortable. He knows the system much more. He’s more comfortable with the guys now. He’s playing a lot more free and a lot more loose.”

Helm also credited his teammates with helping him regain his moxie. Several of them, he said, also transferred from other programs, so they could empathize with his experiences.

“These are people I can trust,” he said. “Somebody is going to tell me something and then actually do it and actually treat me like that. Not someone who is just going to treat me as a player and not as a person. They knew I was down and knew what I was going through, and they did a great job about being there.”

In 20 games last season, Helm averaged 5.7 points and helped fourth-seeded Chatham win the PAC title. He had 12 points in only 17 minutes off the bench in a first-round win over Westminster. The Cougars then knocked off top-seeded W&J in the semis and No. 2 Allegheny in the final.

The goal this season is a repeat, and given their strong start, the Cougars seem to be a legitimate threat.

Helm figures to have a hand in whatever success Chatham achieves. Regardless of where the team ends up, Helm can rest in knowing his years of basketball eligibility won’t pass him by.

“It felt good to be a part of something that you contributed to,” he said about last season’s title. “Last year was a special year.

“I think we have the right parts like we had last year. I really believe in us. … I want to be the best I can be so that the person next to me can be the best they can be. And it doesn’t matter what playing time I’m getting. We’re here to win a championship.”