Storm Hutchinson Chosen to Lead Tulpehocken Girls Basketball
- Sean McBryan
- May 28
- 3 min read
William "Storm" Hutchinson IV has seen the game of basketball from multiple different perspectives even though he's only 27 years old.
Those experiences have culminated in him being named the next head coach of the Tulpehocken girls basketball program, which was officially approved at a school board meeting on May 20.
“It wasn’t necessarily success or failure in the past or some big, exciting pitch, but just the people there," Hutchinson said about what drew him to Tulpy. "That’s what I’m most excited about.
“[Athletic Director] Trevor [Brown] has a lot of passion for the program, and that’s what really stuck out to me — just how excited they are for the future.”
The Tulpehocken girls basketball head coach position opened up after Timothy Kline stepped down following this past season. The Trojans went 4-8 in Berks IV and 8-14 overall. Kline went 27-79 in six seasons as the Trojans' head coach.
Hutchinson is familiar with the Berks IV division having been an assistant on first-year Brandywine Heights head coach Rob Benner's staff last season.
“Brandywine was a big stepping stone for me," Hutchinson said. "Coaching under Rob Benner last year was a great experience. That staff introduced me to Berks basketball and I 100% don’t get this opportunity without them.”
Now they'll be competing against each other.
Hutchinson is a Pottsville native and was a three-year varsity captain at Gillingham Charter, a small school with an enrollment around 50 students. He became Gillingham's head boys' coach at the age of 21 after graduating from Kutztown University, but has since returned to the Berks area.
“I’m a Berks County guy now," he said. "I didn’t grow up here, but I’ve been here most of my married life. Kutztown grad, lived here four years, and now moving into the area with my wife.”
He served as the girls' head coach at The King's Academy in Mohrsville, Pa., competing in the Atlantic Coast Christian Athletic Conference (ACCAC), from 2021 to 2022 and served as an assistant under Albright men's head coach Rick Ferry for the 2022-23 season.
Hutchinson also coached teams for Berks Panthers AAU and recently started his own AAU program, Berks Hurricanes.
“I've coached middle school, high school, AAU, small private schools and being at Brandywine last year, I got a real feel for what it means to coach in the Berks Girls League," he said. "I already know the world I’m stepping into."
Tulpehocken last finished with a winning record in the 2014–15 season when it finished 14-9 and qualified for the District 3 playoffs for the third consecutive year, led by senior Taylor Boyer's 13.4 points per game.
Hutchinson will aim to lift the Trojans back to that level of success.
While all-division guard Avery Baransky (10.8 ppg) and center Juliet Snyder (7.1 ppg) are graduating, honorable mention pick Lyla Pugh (8.1 ppg) will return for her senior season to give the Trojans a key returning piece.
The 2027 class has also been thrust into action and gained valuable experience the past two seasons.
“That sophomore group last year really got put through the ringer," Hutchinson said. "They had to play JV and varsity. They’re a hardened crew and ready to take the next step.”
Hutchinson noted plans to start filling out his coaching staff, creating a positive environment, supporting the middle school/youth programs, and building on last season's eight wins, the most for the Trojans since the 2019-20 season.
“I don’t want to walk in and declare myself the leader," Hutchinson said. "I want to figure out what’s already working and support it. I want to be a servant leader. If I can create an environment where girls love being there, where numbers go up, where they feel purpose — that’s a huge success.
“This is kind of the end of the beginning of my story. I just really want to be a part of the girls’ story now.”
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