Tai Webster

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Tai Webster
Tai Webster with ball.jpg
Webster with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2017
No. 0 – Žalgiris Kaunas
PositionPoint guard / Shooting guard
LeagueLKL
EuroLeague
Personal information
Born (1995-05-29) 29 May 1995 (age 26)
Auckland, New Zealand
NationalityNew Zealand
Listed height6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)
Listed weight196 lb (89 kg)
Career information
High schoolWestlake Boys
(Auckland, New Zealand)
CollegeNebraska (2013–2017)
NBA draft2017 / Undrafted
Playing career2012–present
Career history
2012Auckland Pirates
2012–2013New Zealand Breakers
2013Waikato Pistons
2017–2018Skyliners Frankfurt
2018–2020Galatasaray
2020–2021New Zealand Breakers
2021–presentŽalgiris Kaunas
Career highlights and awards

Tai Jack Webster (born 29 May 1995) is a New Zealand professional basketball player for Žalgiris Kaunas of the Lithuanian Basketball League (LKL) and the EuroLeague. Prior to playing college basketball in the United States, Webster won a New Zealand NBL championship with the Auckland Pirates in 2012 and an Australian NBL championship with the Breakers in 2013 as a development player. He played four college seasons for the Nebraska Cornhuskers, earning second-team All-Big Ten as a senior in 2017. He played professionally in Germany and Turkey between 2017 and 2020.

Early career[]

Born in Auckland, Webster attended Westlake Boys High School where he led them to the National Secondary Schools Basketball Championships in October 2012, scoring 24 points en route to garnering tournament MVP honours. While attending Westlake, he played basketball for the North Harbour juniors; from 2010 to 2012, he played for the North Harbour U17s, U19s and U21s.

In 2012, Webster played for the Auckland Pirates, where in two games, he recorded a total of two points and two assists.[1] The Pirates went on to win the 2012 championship with an 89–83 win over the Wellington Saints in the grand final.[2]

In August 2012, Webster joined the New Zealand Breakers as a non-contracted development player for the 2012–13 NBL season.[3] In December 2012, he signed a National Letter of Intent to play college basketball at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.[4]

In April 2013, Webster signed with the Waikato Pistons for the 2013 New Zealand NBL season.[5] In 15 games for Waikato, he averaged 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 2.0 steals per game.[1] He had never heard of Nebraska when he was recruited, but signed with the team anyway.[6]

College career[]

Freshman year[]

As a freshman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2013–14, Webster was an immediate contributor, averaging 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists in 32 games (30 starts) while helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1998. He led Nebraska with 63 assists and was also among the team leaders in steals. Webster reached double figures four times, including a season-high 14 points against Georgia, and paced the squad in assists eight times. His season-best was five assists on three occasions.[7]

Sophomore year[]

As a sophomore in 2014–15, Webster emerged as one of the first Huskers off the bench, backing-up starting guards Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields. He fell out of the rotation early in Big Ten play but found a role as the Huskers' energy guy off the bench and his improved defense showed in other facets of his game. In 30 games (four starts), he averaged 3.9 points, 1.9 rebounds and 1.2 assists in 18.4 minutes per game.[7] Webster called the season "hugely disappointing" since his work in practice did not translate to higher production than as a freshman.[6]

Junior year[]

As a junior in 2015–16, Webster joined the Nebraska starting lineup. He averaged 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 27.7 minutes per game.[6]

Senior year[]

Webster warming up with the Nebraska Cornhuskers in 2017

As a senior in 2016–17, Webster averaged 17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists in 34.7 minutes per game. Leading up to the NBA draft, many thought Webster could be a "second-round sleeper."[8]

College statistics[]

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2013–14 Nebraska 32 30 22.8 .304 .171 .619 2.1 2.0 0.8 0.1 3.9
2014–15 Nebraska 30 4 18.4 .358 .231 .737 1.9 1.2 0.7 0.1 3.9
2015–16 Nebraska 34 18 27.7 .474 .350 .740 4.1 1.9 1.4 0.4 10.1
2016–17 Nebraska 31 31 34.7 .421 .294 .744 5.1 4.0 1.4 0.1 17.0
Career 127 83 25.9 .414 .279 .715 3.3 2.3 1.0 0.2 8.8

Professional career[]

After going undrafted in the 2017 NBA draft, Webster played for the Golden State Warriors during the 2017 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.[9] He later signed with the Skyliners Frankfurt in Germany for the 2017–18 season.[10] He posted 14.9 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 3.8 assists per game in his rookie season.[11]

On 7 August 2018, Webster signed with the Turkish team Galatasaray.[11] He re-signed with Galatasaray on 7 August 2019.[12]

On 15 July 2020, Webster signed a one-year contract with the New Zealand Breakers, returning to the team for a second stint.[13] On 9 April 2021, he was ruled out for four weeks with an Achilles injury.[14] Webster averaged 17.2 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.9 assists per game during the 2020–21 season.[15]

On 11 July 2021, Webster re-signed with the Breakers on a two-year deal.[16] However, on 20 September 2021, he was released by the Breakers[17] reportedly due to his refusal to get the COVID-19 vaccine.[18]

On 2 November 2021, he has signed with Žalgiris Kaunas.[19]

National team career[]

In 2012, Webster represented New Zealand at the FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament, where he averaged 13.5 points per game. He went on to represent New Zealand at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup[20] and the 2016 FIBA World Olympic Qualifying Tournament.[21]

Personal[]

Webster is the son of Tony and Cherry Webster. Tony was a standout athlete in his own right, earning first team All-WAC honors at Hawaii in 1983 and ranking fourth on Hawaii’s career steals list before playing professionally in New Zealand. His older brother, Corey, also plays professional basketball and the pair have been teammates.[7]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Player statistics for Tai Webster
  2. ^ Auckland NBL Champions
  3. ^ BREAKERS WELCOME BACK WEBSTER AS ROSTER IS FINALISED
  4. ^ Webster Officially in the Fold
  5. ^ Tai Webster's signing should get Pistons firing
  6. ^ a b c Bruntz, Michael (5 March 2017). "Webster reflects on winding, rewarding career". CBS Sports. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  7. ^ a b c "Tai Webster Bio". Huskers.com. Retrieved 5 August 2014.
  8. ^ Chapman, Grant (11 April 2017). "NBA: Brogdon surprise paves way for Kiwi Tai Webster's NBA dream". New Zealand Herald. ISSN 1170-0777. Retrieved 11 April 2017.
  9. ^ "Tai Webster". realgm.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  10. ^ "Former Husker Tai Webster signs with German team Fraport Skyliners". Omaha World-Herald. 8 September 2017. Retrieved 6 February 2020.
  11. ^ a b "Galatasaray signs Jaka Klobucar and Tai Webster". Sportando. 7 August 2018. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
  12. ^ "Galatasaray re-signs Aaron Harrison, Zach Auguste and Tai Webster". Sportando. 7 August 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2021.
  13. ^ "New Zealand Breakers confirm Tai Webster signing for upcoming Australian NBL season". Stuff. 15 July 2020. Retrieved 15 July 2020.
  14. ^ Hinton, Marc (9 April 2021). "Rob Loe rejoins NZ Breakers for remainder of NBL season, Tai Webster out injured". stuff.co.nz. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
  15. ^ Uluc, Olgun (26 June 2021). "NBL Free Agency: who's on the move". ESPN. Retrieved 29 June 2021.
  16. ^ "Breakers Beat Off Overseas Rivals and Tai Webster Stays for Two More Years". nzbreakers.basketball. 11 July 2021. Retrieved 11 July 2021.
  17. ^ "Tai Webster and Breakers Agree Release". NBL.com.au. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  18. ^ "NZ Breakers part ways with Tai Webster because of Covid-19 vaccination stance". stuff.co.nz. 20 September 2021. Retrieved 20 September 2021.
  19. ^ "E.Mudiay Kauno „Žalgiryje" keičia T.Websteris". zalgiris.lt (in Lithuanian). 2 November 2021. Retrieved 2 November 2021.
  20. ^ Tall Blacks cut down squad for FIBA World Cup
  21. ^ "Tai Webster". fiba.com. Retrieved 13 March 2021.

External links[]

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