James Helvey is in his 24th season as head coach of the Cameron men's tennis team and his 19th year as director of the Aggies women's squad.
He is the only coach the Aggie men's program which began in 1993. Helvey's tennis teams have posted winning records each season at Cameron and have advanced to NCAA postseason competition numerous times and in 2016 he surpassed over 800 career coaching wins.
Helvey joined the Cameron tennis program in 1993 as head coach of the newly formed Aggie men's squad. Since 1994, 21 Cameron men's teams under Helvey have advanced to the NCAA Division II national championship tournament. In 2008, 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016 the CU men's tennis program took NCAA South Central Regional titles to advance to nationals. In their fourth try at nationals the Aggies broke through and reached the Elite Eight which is the furthest the program has gone in its history.
In 1994, Helvey directed Cameron's top men's singles player, Jason White, to the ITA Regional Singles Championship and a berth in the ITA National Rolex Tournament. The 1999 women's doubles team of Ana Vera-Vera and Tiffany Burgess also won the ITA Regional Doubles Championship, earning a trip to the National Rolex Doubles Tournament in Memphis, Tenn.
When longtime Cameron women's tennis coach Joe Jones resigned in 1999, Helvey was selected to take over the reigns of the Aggie women's program, as well. His women's teams have responded with ten appearances in the NCAA Division II national tournament in the last 14 years--all 14 winning seasons. Coach Helvey's women's teams have never had a losing season.
A native of Ft. Worth, Texas, Helvey began his coaching career at Texas Wesleyan University, guiding both the Rams and Lady Rams tennis teams from 1990-1993. During that time, Helvey compiled a 95-59 coaching record and was twice voted the Coach of the Year in the Heart of Texas Conference.
Helvey also served on the NAIA ranking committee from 1991-93 and was the Director of Special Events, Tennis Lessons, Leagues and Clinics at Riverbend Athletic Club in Ft. Worth from 1992-93. In 1992, Helvey assisted many of the best professional tennis players in the world while serving as the team stringer for both the United States and Switzerland in Davis Cup competition.
He also served as Tournament Director for the Texas Amateur Athletic Federation from 1986-88.
Beginning in 2007, Helvey took over as the Intercollegiate Tennis Association (ITA) National Chair.
Helvey played collegiate tennis for four years, beginning with a two-year stint at Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas. He then transferred to Texas Wesleyan University, where he was member of the Rams men's tennis program for two seasons before graduating in 1990.
Helvey earned a Master's degree in behavioral sciences from Cameron in 2002. Helvey is married to Natalya and has two sons, Hunter and Dylan; and a stepson, Maks.
