BLOOMFIELD- For a decade and a half, first with former head coach Pat Brunner before he left to become the athletic director at Mountain Lakes, and then during the past nine years with current Bengals head man Mike Passero the Bloomfield Summer League has been a popular venue for many North Jersey schools
This year is no different with 14 teams from Essex County and one each from Bergen (River Dell) and Hudson (North Bergen) counties in the hoops loop which has games four nights a week, Monday through Thursday, before the playoffs commence on Monday, July 20, and conclude with the semifinals and championship games on Thursday, July 23.
Teams all have to juggle their rotations depending on the night of the week with student-athletes not only having other possible basketball commitments, but also with other sports perhaps in the picture.
The host Bengals, with four starters back from a 19-9 squad, including high-scoring guard AJ Cruz (20.3 points per game in the 2025-2026 campaign) and all-around contributor Sean Perrotta (14.1 ppg, 7.0 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game) are one of the teams to keep an eye on not only this summer but certainly also heading into the fall where the veteran and guard-heavy squad could be a prime contender in the North 1, Group 4 state tournament come next February.
Among the other possible teams to keep an eye on in the 2026 Bloomfield Summer League could include experienced Livingston and Glen Ridge teams, improving West Side and West Orange squads, and always-competitive squads such as Caldwell and Montclair.
“I haven't had a chance to see everyone yet,” said Passero. “The summer can be difficult to evaluate because many teams have players balancing basketball with other sports and commitments.
“I'm encouraged with our group so far. We return four starters from last season, and our focus this summer is building depth around that core. We played a very competitive game against Livingston, who also returns much of their core, so I think they're certainly a team to watch.”
Speaking of Passero’s Bengals, in addition to veteran seniors Cruz and Perrotta, there are others to watch in valuable seniors Cameron Arena (6.8 ppg) and Jeremiah Gonzalez (6.5 ppg), both of whom simply add to the depth in the team’s talented backcourt.
The ultra-quick Cruz and strong and steady Perrotta are both receiving college attention as they continue to make the most of their final scholastic summer.
AJ and Sean are both playing with us throughout the summer league, including games at Bloomfield College,” said Passero. “They each had outstanding spring seasons with their AAU programs—Sean with the NJ Panthers and AJ with Team Slow-Mo—and both also had strong weekends at ‘NJ Live.’
“Neither player has committed to a college yet, but both are receiving legitimate interest from Division II and Division III programs. Sean has already picked up Division II offers from Millersville and Felician, and both continue to attract attention from college coaches.”
Bloomfield High School also hosted the popular ‘Team Camp’ in June which is a great precursor to the summer league and for some teams that also participate in the league at nearby Bloomfield College.
