Husker Corner
Fansided

Nebraska Basketball’s Tai Webster Is Shining For His Home Country

By Oliver Vandervoort

Mar 6, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Bryant McIntosh (30) scores a basket past Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Tai Webster (0)in the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 6, 2016; Evanston, IL, USA; Northwestern Wildcats guard Bryant McIntosh (30) scores a basket past Nebraska Cornhuskers guard Tai Webster (0)in the second half at Welsh-Ryan Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jerry Lai-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Nebraska basketball senior guard Tai Webster is plying his trade for his home country in New Zealand as the team plays in the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament.

Most Cornhusker fans know Webster returns to his homeland every summer in order to help his national team go up against the best of the best when it comes to what other countries have to offer. What some Nebraska basketball fans might forget is that he’s easily one of the best in the world when it comes to International competition.

Huskers.com reports that Webster played and played well in a game against Belarus in the SJEC 2016 International Basketball Challenge in China. This tournament is a kind of warmup for the main event which starts next month in the Olympic qualifying tournament.

Webster led the team against Belarus, shooting 6 of 8 from the field and 2 of 2 from beyond the three-point arc. In total he scored 16 points in New Zealand’s 80-65 win. Scoring wasn’t the only way the Nebraska basketball star shone.

More from Nebraska Basketball

While scoring those 16 points he also added five rebounds, dished out three assists and nabbed four steals in just 26 minutes on the court. While his improved play against International opponents is likely a good sign, its improved play in the Big Ten that Husker fans most want to see.

Webster did seem to make impressive strides after struggling mightily his first two years in Lincoln. After averaging just 3.9 points per game in his freshman and sophomore seasons, Webster average 10.1 PPG last year, in his Junior season.

The 6-4 guard also upped his rebounding numbers, showing he was a bit more of a force on both sides of the court. Last year he averaged 4.1 rebounds compared to just 2.1 and 1.9 the seasons before last. Not surprisingly, Webster’s minutes played shot up thanks to his improved play.

In his freshman year, he logged just 22.8 minutes per game and that average went way down when conference season started. His sophomore year he averaged just 18.3 minutes a game but last year hew as on the court for the majority of the game, averaging 27.7 minutes per contest.

Next: Nebraska Basketball First Power 5 Offer For Illinois Shooting Guard

If Tai Webster can continue to improve for the Huskers he has a chance to be a team leader and that can only help the Nebraska basketball team as it attempts to make it back to the NCAA tournament.

Home/Nebraska Basketball