Auburn’s Tre Blassingame is The News Tribune’s 2022 All-Area player of the year
Ryan Hansen walked into the gym around 6:45 a.m., minutes before his zero-hour P.E. class at Auburn High School on a Tuesday, two days after his Trojans had won the 3A state boys basketball championship at the Tacoma Dome.
There was Tre Blassingame, getting up shots. The celebration was over. It was time to get back to work.
“He grinds,” Hansen said. “He puts in a lot of work.”
That work made Blassingame Auburn’s go-to player the past three years, its vocal leader and the heart and soul of a team that won the program’s first state title in its history this March in the Tacoma Dome. The Trojans compiled a 27-2 overall record, beating three Metro League teams in the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome: No. 1 Garfield in the quarterfinals, Seattle Prep in the semifinals and Rainier Beach in the state championship game.
Blassingame is The News Tribune’s 2022 All-Area player of the year. He grew up in Auburn but didn’t join the core Auburn group of seniors — Kaden Hansen, Dae’Kwon Watson and Maleek Arington — until seventh grade.
“We just found we had so much in common and we just grew from there as a strong bond and a strong brotherhood,” Blassingame said.
They burst onto the scene as sophomores, earning a trip to the 3A state tournament in the Tacoma Dome despite fielding one of the state’s youngest starting lineups. Auburn lost its opening round game, but it was clear the team was on the come-up. Blassingame estimates he grew from about 6-foot-1 to 6-foot-3 between his freshman and sophomore years. His sophomore year, he started for the Trojans and became one of the team’s top options.
“I learned a lot from my freshman year, put in a lot of work,” he said. “I feel like my sophomore year was my breakout year. Just my confidence and leadership. Those two things will excel me to play well offensively, play well defensively. Just being locked in on the team aspect of things really helped me get better as an individual.”
Now 6-foot-5, Blassingame has the length of a forward but the ball skills of a guard. This season, he averaged 20.1 points, 7.2 rebounds, 2.7 assists and 1.9 steals. A first-team all-tournament selection and the 3A NPSL MVP, Blassingame’s best illustration of poise under pressure came in the quarterfinals against Garfield. He was fouled with under a second to go and sent to the free throw line, with Auburn trailing by two.
He drilled both free throws, sending the game to overtime. Ice in his veins. Hansen turned to his assistant coach moments before Blassingame stepped to the free throw line for the first shot.
“I told him, ‘He’s going to make these two free throws,’” Hansen said. “There was really no doubt in my mind. At that point, you’ve just gotta trust the work. He’s put in countless hours. He earned the right to make those two free throws.”
Tahoma coach Rick Tripp, whose Bears play in the 4A NPSL, echoed Hansen’s sentiments regarding Blassingame’s leadership.
“His demeanor never changes,” Tripp said. “With that team, he was just kind of patient. When Maleek (Arington) went out (with an injury), he really stepped up and took a more assertive role offensively. … That state title game (against Rainier Beach), when it was on the line, he stepped up and scored quite a bit. He’s a really good defender, too, which I don’t think he gets enough credit for.”
He leaves the school with his legacy unquestioned, the top player on a team that gave Auburn its first title.
“It couldn’t have been a better group,” Blassingame said. “Those are the three other closest dudes I’m with right now. To win it with them meant a lot to me. It was a personal goal for us, too. We know we had what it took, it would just depend on how bad we wanted it.”
To Hansen, Blassingame is the standard going forward for the program, not so much for his natural ability, but for the work ethic he demonstrated day in and day out.
“Those guys have seen the work that it takes, the leadership it takes and those underclassmen are going to fall into that role and become that guy,” Hansen said. “He set a standard. It’s a high expectation. I appreciate it as a coach, you saw the work it takes, the leadership that it takes and we need you to be those next guys that step in and take care of that.”
