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Cranford's Allison Skrec holds her Union County Coach of the Year award she received from the N.J. Basketball Coaches Assocation at the state all-star game March 17 at Rutgers Prep. Allison comes from dedicated basketball family that includes, in the third photo, from left, in front: Allison, sister Ashley and mom Laura, and in back dad Joe and brother Mike, as the family visited the gym in Indiana which was the setting for the popular 1986 film, 'Hoosiers.' In bottom photo, the Cranford players and coaches get together to celebrate their terrific 2023-2024 campaign. (SC file photos & also courtesy of Cranford girls hoops)

NJBCA Names Cranford’s Skrec
Union County Coach Of The Year

By Steve Tober
for sidelinehatter.com

Allison Skrec is no stranger to success on a Union County basketball court.

Skrec, a two-time Union County Player of the Year at Roselle Catholic High School, which won the UCT her junior and senior seasons, has continued to flourish in gymnasiums around the county on the Cranford High School girls basketball’s team’s bench.

In 2023-24, the Cougars, with Skrec in her fourth season at the helm, won 19 games, including two in the state tournament, and reached the Union County Tournament final at Kean University, where second-seeded Cranford dropped a 59-57, overtime decision to Elizabeth on Feb. 18.

The 19 victories for the girls’ basketball team were the most in a season for Cranford since 2013, when the Cougars won 20 games.  Cranford, which went 12-13 last season, reached the UCT final for the first time since 2016 (when it defeated Roselle Catholic at Kean). 

After losing four of its first six games, the Cougars won seven in a row and 11 of their next 12 contests. Between Dec. 27 and Feb. 17, Cranford lost just two games, to one school (New Providence) and concluded the season with a 19-8 record. Cranford avenged setbacks to Union County Conference Watchung Division foes Scotch Plains-Fanwood and Roselle Catholic during the regular season.

For her efforts Skrec was named Union County Coach of the Year by nj.com and the New Jersey Basketball Coaches Association. Skrec, and a Coach of the year from every NJ county, received a plaque and was recognized at halftime of the NJBCA’s annual North/South All-Star Game Classic (for seniors) at Rutgers Prep on March 17.

"It is an honor to be recognized as the county coach of the year," said the Cranford head hoops mentor."Like I say to our girls, individual accolades don't come without team success. My staff and I don't receive this recognition if we don't win games. And you don't win games without good players. 

And opposing coaches appreciate the challenge of facing a Skrec-coached Cougars team.

“Cranford is a very difficult team to play against because Allison has them playing so hard,” said Chatham's longtime coach Joe Gaba.

Gaba and Chatham defeated Cranford, 52-36, on Dec. 27 in the Chatham Tournament and 53-35 in the semifinals of the North 2, Group 3 state tournament.

“Even though the scores indicate we won those games relatively easily, Cranford makes you work the entire game and that’s a reflection of the coach,” Gaba said. “They made us work every possession. Those kids never stop playing, from beginning to end. It was never comfortable for us no matter what the scoreboard said.” 

A former graduate assistant coach and Director of Basketball Operations for Seton Hall University Coach Tony Bozzella, Skrec was also an assistant coach at Roselle Catholic when her alma mater won the 2018 Union County Tournament.

Learning under both Bozzella and her dad, former Roselle Catholic head coach Joe Skrec, has been a huge part of her continued growth as a young coach on the rise.

"I've been so fortunate having had the chance to coach under my dad and Coach Bozzella," said Skrec. "I was on Coach B's staff from 2014-2017 then on my dad's staff from 2017-2020. They've been instrumental in my growth and both prepared me for the role that I'm in today.

"On the court, a lot of my team's offensive and defensive principles/concepts have come from what I've learned from them. X's and O's aside, they have both taught me how to run a program.

"Anyone who coaches knows that the actual 'basketball stuff' is only a small percentage of my job. 

"I'm so lucky to have them as two of my biggest supporters -- they are two of the first people who text me before and after games. I'm so grateful to have them in my corner and know I can reach out to either of them at any point for guidance." 

She’ll start next season with a 44-42 career record after a 3-9 inaugural campaign which was also a truncated season due to covid-19. 

Skrec is assisted by Roselle Catholic graduate Melissa Tobie, who led Montclair State to a D-III Final Four berth in 2015, and Brie Capece, who is also a Cranford High School assistant softball coach. 

"It is really hard to put into words just how much of an asset Melissa is to our program -- her knowledge of the game, her competitiveness, the way she teaches on the court, her rapport with the girls," Skrec noted. "Coaching with 'Melis' is something I don't ever take for granted. It is such a unique and rewarding experience getting the chance to coach with her, having been friends and teammates for so many years. The opportunity to continue to make memories with each other is really special. 

"Brie Capece, our JV coach and varsity assistant, is also such a valuable member of our staff. Unlike Melissa and I, Brie is both a Cranford native and works at Cranford High School. The ties and relationships that Brie has with the community and girls is so important as we continue to build this program.

"She pours so much into helping our girls develop both as players and people. On the court, Brie does a great job of teaching both the fundamentals and our offensive and defensive systems to the younger girls so that they are prepared when they get to the varsity level."

Chatham's Gaba, a veteran of scholastic hoops wars for 27 seasons at the helm of his Chatham Cougars, and with 500 victories, appreciates facing a well-drilled opponent like the Cranford Cougars.

“The way Cranford executes shows you they’re very well-coached,” said Gaba, Morris County’s Coach of the Year. “As we scouted one play in particular getting ready for the state tournament, you noticed the way Cranford ran a little rub screen and when the defense jumped it, Allison recognized it and went to a counter move.

“It reminded me a little bit of our teams. It’s one thing for a team to execute their sets … But when something is taken away and they have an answer is really impressive.”

In the UCT final, Cranford trailed by three points when senior Sophia DeMarco nailed a three-pointer off a baseline out-of-bounds play to knot the score, 53-53, with 9.8 seconds to send the UCT final into overtime.

Cranford’s Bella Curanovic poured in a game-high 25 points (with 11 rebounds) and DeMarco added four trifectas for 12 points in the title game. Also at Kean, senior Maddy DeLong posted eight points and six points, sophomore Lily Costello netted nine points and Kristina Lowe added five assists and four steals for Cranford, which previously defeated Elizabeth twice, by a combined five points, this season.   

While Cranford will bid adieu to some very important seniors from this past banner season, the hopes are high for continued success in 2024-2025.

"I'm very optimistic about the future of our program," stated Skrec."Our seniors (Carly Lynch, Kristina Lowe, Maddy DeLong, Molly Devlin, and Sophia DeMarco), who were my first group of freshmen when I started at Cranford, have solidified the standard and culture of our program. Our returners and newcomers are - and will be -prepared to uphold these.

"In regards to next season, we do return multiple players who played starters' minutes for us, including our leading scorer and rebounder Bella Curanovic. We are also optimistic that some of our younger girls will be prepared to step into larger roles. 

"We understand that there will be a target on our backs going into next season; we will embrace that. I look at that as a privilege, and we are going to work harder than ever to be deserving of that target."                

Follow Steve Tober on 'X' (Twitter) @Chattermeister

Cranford's Allison Skrec is seen during her Manhattan Colllege playing days and most recently while surrounded by her family as she accepted the NJBCA Union County Coach of the Year award. She began coaching at Cranford in 2020-2021 during the challenging covid times faced by all teams. Early in her coaching career she worked alongside dad, Joe, with her high school alma mater the Roselle Catholic Lions. Cranford enjoyed superb 2023-2024 season. (SC file photos & also courtesy of the Skrecs)

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