By Andy Loigu

Breanna Cavanaugh, selected Warren County Girls Basketball Player of the Year by this writer last March, has enrolled at Rutgers University and is eligible to start playing for the Scarlet Knights following the fall semester of 2016.

She is transferring from the University of California, after suffering a concussion, and will have four years of eligibility at Rutgers.

An Allamuchy resident since kindergarten, Cavanaugh attended Good Shepherd Christian Academy in Washington Township through the elementary grades and then went to Blair Academy, where she was a standout player who drew national attention.

She is the sixth girls’ player at Blair to score over 1,000 points in her career.

In her senior season, she averaged 19.5 points per game, along with 7.8 rebounds, 6.3 assists, and 3.5 steals per game, displaying multiple skills on both offense and defense, along with a team oriented attitude and a strong basketball IQ.

She led Blair to wins in 17 of their last 18 games, as the program won its fifth consecutive New Jersey Prep A state title last season.

She was recruited to play at the University of California, and was going to red shirt (sit out) this season, then decided to come home and now is officially a Scarlet Knight. She has enrolled at Rutgers and will be attending classes in the spring semester.

Cavanaugh, a point guard, will play for C. Vivian Stringer at Rutgers. Stringer has over 900 wins in a spectacular basketball coaching career which began in 1972. Stringer has coached the Scarlet Knights since 1995.

From the Sports Chatter archives: Where Are They Now?

The Hackettstown Tigers’ boys’ basketball season got off to a 7-2 start in January of 2003. It was the first of two consecutive seasons the Tigers reached the championship final in the Hunterdon/Warren Tournament under head coach Chris Walker.

In the middle of the action was 6-5 senior center Chris Klunk. In three memorable games to start the 2003 calendar year, he compiled 62 points, making 22-of-32 field goal tries, 18-of-22 from the foul line, and pulled down 22 rebounds and made three steals.

After a 10-point effort in a 72-59 win over South Hunterdon, Klunk exploded for a career-high 33 points against Hopatcong the next day. He made 11-of-18 field goal tries, 11-of-12 free throws and grabbed 12 rebounds off the boards in a 64-56 win over the Chiefs. Three nights later, he made 8-of-9 field goal attempts while scoring 19 points in a 66-35 win over Belvidere.

“Chris has taken his overall game to a higher level,” said Walker in the following week’s Star-Gazette. “He hit the weight room over the summer and improved his strength. He’s also staying out of foul trouble, which has been a problem for him until recently.”

After graduating from Hackettstown High School, he earned a Bachelor of Science degree from Bloomsburg University and a Master’s degree from Rowan University.

Certified as a professional engineer in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Klunk is in his eighth year as a senior electrical engineer with Sargent and Lundy in the Philadelphia area.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.

Andy Loigu, local sports extraordinaire, brings Inside Warren’s readers the Sports Chatter.