Allison Skrec, who spent six seasons as Cranford High School's girls basketball head coach, will take over the Chatham Cougars heading into the 2026-27 season.
Skrec succeeds Joe Gaba, who coached Chatham for three decades and left to become an assistant coach for the women's basketball team at Lafayette College in Easton, Pa. She inherits a program that won the North 2, Group 3 sectional title three straight years (2024, 2025, 2026) and four of the past six seasons, according to NJSIAA records.
The hire carries a local wrinkle for Summit-area fans: Skrec's Cranford squads competed directly against Union County powers including New Providence during her tenure. She guided Cranford to the state playoffs in five consecutive seasons, and her team faced Chatham in the North 2, Group 3 tournament each of the past three years, losing each time.
"I'm really excited for this new chapter at Chatham," Skrec told Union News Daily.
Skrec, 34, played at Roselle Catholic High School, where she scored a career-high 30 points as a junior in the 2009 Union County Tournament championship game. She went on to play at Manhattan College, then served as an assistant coach at Seton Hall University before returning to Roselle Catholic as an assistant. She took the Cranford head coaching job in 2020.
Her best seasons at Cranford came in 2023-24 (19-8, Union County Tournament finalist) and 2024-25 (15-12, North 2, Group 3 finalist). Her final season finished 13-15, including a 30-21 loss to Chatham in the sectional quarterfinals on Monday, March 2, 2026, and a 42-35 loss at the Chatham Tournament on Monday, December 29, 2025.
Skrec credited Chatham Athletic Director Darren D'Alconzo for the opportunity, and said Gaba has already reached out to help with the transition.
The NJSIAA girls basketball season opens in December.
