Jim Hutnik's son will get his shot as new coach at Pen Argyl

http://blogs.mcall.com/groller/

FROM KEITH GROLLER

Pen Argyl sent out a release Wednesday morning announcing the hiring of several coaches, including my longtime associate Bill Schankel who is now going to be the Green Knights girls basketball coach in addition to softball. Bill has done an outstanding job with softball and I am sure he'll do the same with hoops, although he will now be a very busy man.

Wendy Kolb was hired as the cheerleading coach.

But the big news, at least to me, was the fact that Jim Hutnik's son, Kyle, has been named Pen Argyl's boys basketball coach.

Kyle had been in the running for several jobs in recent years and kudos to the school officials at Pen Argyl for giving a young guy a shot. His father, Jim, the very successful Easton coach, has been a great mentor to him over the years.

Kyle played for his father at Bethlehem Catholic and graduated in 2000, which makes him either 30 or 31 depending on when his birthday falls.

Kyle attended Millersville University. where he made the golf team. He has been an assistant golf pro at Riverview Country Club.

While in school, he became a PIAA official (ironic if you know how his father has grilled the guys in the striped shirts over the years) and worked from 2003-2006. But then the coaching bug bit and he was a freshman coach at Easton from 2005-2007 and then the JV coach from 2007-13.

Hutnik is the fourth Pen Argyl coach in four years.

Mike Frew, the current Becahi coach, was there in 2010-11, and replaced by current Northampton coach Coy Stampone for the 2011-12 season. Last year, Al Blount had the top job.

The Green Knights were 6-16 under Stampone and 4-18 under Blount last season. Frew coached Pen Argyl for four seasons and went 20-68.

"We are very pleased to announce Kyle as our new head boys’ basketball coach," athletic director Tim Egan said. "He has great knowledge of the game and has been around the game of basketball his entire life.  His experiences as a player, coach and PIAA official will serve him well as he embarks on his head coaching career here at Pen Argyl.  We are very confident that our boys’ program will grow and flourish under Kyle’s leadership and that he will assemble a staff which will bring stability to our basketball program.”