It was a muggy Thursday evening in mid-June but the atmosphere in the Hun School gym was reminiscent of a big game in mid-winter.

The bleachers in Shipley Pavilion were more than half full and the telltale sounds of whistles and squeaking sneakers filled the air.

While there wasn’t a key high school game in progress, it was a big night on the local hoops scene as it marked the opening night of the newly-formed Victory Sports Pro-Am Summer Basketball League.

League director Bryan Caver, a former Seton Hall men’s hoops standout, was happy to see the strong turnout for the triple-header which featured an entertaining run-and-gun brand of hoops under the league’s format of four 10-minute quarters with a running clock and a 24-second shot clock.

“I just think the avid fan really wants to see some good basketball and that is what we are trying to provide, guys competing at a high level in the summer time,” said Caver of the league, which is holding triple-headers on Tuesday and Thursday evenings at Hun starting at 6:00 p.m. with playoffs slated to begin on August 4.

“Guys that you get to see on TV, Charles Cook played at Dayton this year, Trey Lowe is going to Temple, you get to see them up close. You don’t realize how good these guys are until you see them up close.”

Caver, who has become familiar with the area through working for Mercer County Special Services as a Behavioral Interventionist, realized that there was a need for such high-level competition in the summer.

“I knew a couple of area guys and overseas guys that come home who play Division 1, who really didn’t have a place to play in the summer,” said Caver.

“They were just kind of watching leagues. The Jersey Shore League still exists but it is not the same competition that it was. About two years ago I kind of pondered it and I thought what I want for myself if I was still playing. We just wanted to create an environment where these guys could compete.”

Hun turned out to be an ideal environment for the league. “There were a couple of different places considered but this location is perfect,” said Caver.

“We have guys coming from all different areas so it is accessible. I really thank the Hun family for allowing us to do this, especially athletic director Bill Quirk. They love their basketball but to give an outside entity an opportunity to come and share the facility, I truly appreciate that.”

Caver was taken aback by the number of guys who wanted to get an opportunity to play in the league.

“The moment we started contacting these colleges and universities, they were all for it,” said Caver, pointing out that the league is NCAA-sanctioned.

“We had two tryouts because of the response. We thought we would have some area talent but the vast amount of talent has been a surprise. We have players from Rider, Princeton, and Rutgers. There are some from D-3 schools and some overseas guys. We have guys coming from as far away as Bloomfield. It is a vast array of talent and players.”

While Caver is happy with the talent the league has attracted this summer, he sees it as only a start.

“This season, I want to see an influx of guys, this is what the pro-am is about,” added Caver,

“Guys hearing about it and making room for those guys who want to compete and play in this league. I want the NBA guys to know there is a place they can come to near home. I want to get even more talent and raise the level. I want more than eight teams, I want 16 teams.”

Buoyed by the promising start, Caver is confident that the league can become a fixture on the local sporting scene.

“We hope to keep this going for many years to come,” said Caver, noting that Victory Sports is looking to start programs in other sports, including soccer, field hockey, and football.

“I feel there was a place for this. As you can see, we have some talent and these guys are competing. I just really want people to come out and watch and enjoy the level of competition that we have and the level of the basketball that we are bringing to this area. There is nothing like this in the area and there hasn’t been in a long time.”