At age seven, he first learned basketball in the tough community in Central District, Seattle through his uncle, who used to let him play against grown men.
He went on to play for Shoreline Dolphins, averaging 16 points, 6.5 rebounds, 9.5 assists and 2.5 steals per game, while helping the school finish seventh in the Northwestern Athletic Association of Community Colleges (NWAACC), its best record in 10 years.
[8] He was rewarded a spot to play for the Dragons in the ASEAN Basketball League after another Filipino-American, Rashawn McCarthy, left the team to join the PBA draft.
[9] On August 8, 2014, he made his much-anticipated debut for the Dragons in the ABL with a three pointer in the dying seconds to tie the game against Saigon Heat in regulation, which they eventually won.
During his stint with the Dragons, he became teammates with current PBA players and fellow Fil-foreigners Moala Tautuaa and Justin Melton.
On November 23, 2015, it was announced by Philippine Basketball Association commissioner Chito Narvasa that Scharer was one of the 215 aspirants for the 2015 PBA D-League Draft, which was to take place on December 1, 2015.
During this time, he was affiliated with the Black Gangsters Disciples, a Seattle-based gang whose method of operation includes drug trafficking and other crimes.
[18] In July 2009, he was arrested for conspiring to distribute BZP (a synthetic substance similar to ecstasy) with another gang member Dimitrius Tinsley.