Emerald Ridge’s Scales plays with deeper purpose this season

It’s the night that changed everything.

When Raeshon Scales walked onto the hardwood on Jan. 13, beating South Puget Sound League rival Bethel was the furthest thing from his mind. Emerald Ridge High’s star point guard was aware his father, Michael Tremble, was in surgery for a cardiac ailment.

What he did not know was that his father had died.

“I went into the game saying I have to forget about what’s going on in my life right now and that it’s all about the team,” Scales said.

Emerald Ridge coach Pat Mullen said sending Scales out to play that night was a struggle. But he honored the wishes of his player’s mother, who asked that Tremble’s only child not be told prior to the game.

“It was definitely hard,” Mullen said. “It’s something I’ve never been through before.”

To this day, Scales said he feels like he should have been more focused. That despite the Jaguars’ 51-48 win over the Braves, he shouldn’t have left the game — and should have helped his team more.

“I let it get to me,” he said. “Not knowing, and thinking he was going to be OK.”

Now, as a new season begins, Scales still thinks about Tremble every time he plays. He has dedicated his senior season to his father.

“I just wanted him to see me graduate and go to college — it’s not even about basketball,” said Scales, who also plays football and runs track for Emerald Ridge. “But since I have sports, I can dedicate everything I do here on out to him.”

Scales’ perseverance is no surprise to those who know him. Even as he mourned his father, he didn’t miss a single game.

“It kind of caught everyone off guard,” Mullen said of Scales’ decision to finish the 2014-15 season. “But he kept playing and did a real good job of competing and fighting through.”

Junior wing Daniel Gregory said the rest of the team did not expect him to play.

“That was so tough,” he said. “But he never really takes a day off. When we’re tired, he’s still playing.”

Still, losing Tremble affected Scales’ performance. The Jaguars, in turn, finished fourth in the SPSL and failed to advance to districts.

“It was kind of disappointing,” said Scales, who is known as an outspoken leader. “It was hard to get over back when we lost. We’re just looking forward to this season and getting past where we did.”

Over the summer, Scales, a former AAU player and one of two seniors on a junior-laden Jaguars team, focused on his game to become their go-to guy.

“This year, he seems a lot tougher and more motivated,” said Gregory, who calls the Jaguars’ co-captain a close friend.

Scales, an aspiring business owner, also hopes to catch the eye of a collegiate coach and continue playing at the next level.

“When he gets going, he can really score the ball,” Mullen said. “We’re hoping he gets going a lot this year.”

That is exactly what Scales plans to do — for his team, and for his father.

“I know he’s watching down on me,” he said. “Hopefully I can make him proud.”

This story was originally published December 1, 2015 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Emerald Ridge’s Scales plays with deeper purpose this season."