Schuylkill County Native Skylar Sheriff Named New Tulpehocken Head Coach
- 7 hours ago
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Tulpehocken girls basketball will once again have new leadership on the sidelines.
The Tulpehocken School Board approved the hiring of Skylar Sheriff last week as the Trojans' new girls basketball head coach.
William "Storm" Hutchinson was not retained following one season.
Sheriff, 31, is a Schuylkill County native and Blue Mountain graduate who lives in Orwigsburg.
He comes to Tulpehocken after spending time on the boys basketball staff at Blue Mountain, including the last year as the Eagles' junior varsity head coach. He also founded the Schuylkill Select AAU program which he continues to coach.
Sheriff helps operate his family's tree and landscaping business during the day.
Although he interviewed for the Tulpehocken position a year ago, Sheriff said the timing ultimately worked out the way it was supposed to.
"I believe everything happens for a reason," Sheriff said. "Last year just wasn't the right time for me to take on something like this, and now it is."
The opportunity also gives Sheriff his first chance to build a varsity program of his own.
"I knew this was a great opportunity for me to become a head coach, which I've been striving for for a while now," Sheriff said. "I know there are good groups coming through Tulpehocken, so it's a great program for me to rebuild and build something that's mine."
Sheriff began coaching shortly after graduating from Moravian University, where he served as a team manager after playing two years himself at Blue Mountain. He joined Blue Mountain's staff shortly after, where his passion for the sport blossomed.
Now he'll inherit a Tulpehocken program looking to reverse several seasons of struggles.
The Trojans finished 5-17 overall and 3-9 in Berks IV last winter and have not qualified for the Berks County playoffs since 2014. Tulpehocken also has not reached the District 3 postseason since 2017 and is still seeking its first PIAA state tournament appearance in program history.
Sheriff believes rebuilding the program starts with changing the culture.
"We're trying to change the tide here," he said. "We need to be quicker. We need to be a little stronger. It's going to need to be a full program rebuild."
While leading scorer Lyla Pugh (7.9 ppg) graduated, the Trojans are expected to return four of their top five scorers, including rising seniors Molly Golberg (5.8 ppg, 20 3-pointers), Katelyn Kampe (4.4 ppg), Kayla Kampe (3.4 ppg), and Kaylee Weaver (2.7 ppg). Sheriff also said he has been encouraged by the numbers coming through Tulpehocken's youth program.
He hopes this year's senior class can lay the foundation for sustained success.
"Whether you're here for one year because you're a senior or you're here for the next six years because you're a junior high kid, you can make a lasting impact and leave your footprint on the changes to this program," Sheriff said.
Sheriff expects his coaching style to bring a different energy to the program.
"It's going to be a little bit of a culture shock," he said. "I'm a completely different type of coach. I'm a lot more energetic. I always say I'm my players' biggest fan."
Rather than focusing solely on wins and losses in his first season, Sheriff said his priority is building a culture that can sustain success over the long term.
"Rome wasn't built in a day," Sheriff said. "The major goal this year is we want to get better. We want to turn the tide here and form a new family-type culture."
He hopes that mentality will eventually return the Trojans to postseason contention while creating an environment his players enjoy being a part of.
"I want that family feeling among the girls where this is your second family," Sheriff said. "We need to support each other at our highs and our lows because it's bigger than basketball."
Only one head coaching position remains open in the Berks Girls Basketball League: Daniel Boone.
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