Jervaughn Scales

Jervaughn Scales (born August 8, 1971) is an American-Argentinian basketball player. His professional career began in 1994 after graduating from Southern University, and as of 2014–15 he plays for Club Olimpo in Argentina.

Early life

A native of New York City, Scales and his family moved four different times within the metropolitan area before he was 15 years old. They relocated, permanently, to Dayton, Ohio at that time, and it was in Ohio that he discovered how much he enjoyed playing basketball. Due to low test scores, Scales did not get recruited out of high school. Only Southern University took a calculated risk in recruiting him, although he was forced to sit out his freshman season due to Proposition 48 rules.

College

In his three years of eligibility between 1991–92 and 1993–94, Scales had a standout career. He led the Southern Jaguars to the 1993 NCAA Tournament as a junior. As a #13 seed, they upset the heavily favored #4 seed Georgia Tech 93–78 behind Scales' 27 points and 18 rebounds. They lost in the next round, however. As a senior, he finished in the top 5 in the nation for both scoring average and rebounding average. At one point during that season he was number one in both statistical categories and could have joined Kurt Thomas, Hank Gathers and Xavier McDaniel as the only players in Division I history to have led the nation in both categories in the same season. On February 7, 1994, Scales grabbed 32 rebounds in a game against Grambling State, which is tied for the third-highest total in the post-1973 basketball era. At the end of his senior year he was named the Southwestern Athletic Conference Player of the Year.

Professional

Scales went unselected in the 1994 NBA Draft. He has since carved out a professional career in various countries, including Argentina (Alianza Viedma, A. Espanola, MH Basket, San Lorenzo de Almagro), Australia (Canberra Cannons), and Chile. He eventually acquired dual citizenship in Argentina where he continues to play today.