NAHARIYA (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 Asian Qualifiers) - New Zealand veteran Corey Webster says the towering presence of Oklahoma City Thunder center Steven Adams would take the Tall Blacks to new heights if he played for his country at next year's World Cup in China.

The Kiwis first have to book their place in the 32-team event, something that looks more likely after their wins at China and Korea in February's Qualifiers. Seven teams from Asia will clinch spots in the World Cup, with tournament hosts China already assured of a spot.

"That's the number one goal for us right now," Webster said to FIBA.basketball.

"New Zealand has been to the last four World Cups. That's our focus right now. It's huge to make it and another chance to prove ourselves. I think we have a great group of players. If we could manage to get Steven Adams with us, we could do huge things on the world stage."

Adams, 24, played alongside current Tall Black Jordan Ngatai for New Zealand at the 2009 U16 European Championship but has yet to put on the black singlet for the senior team.

"NOW IT'S ABOUT STAYING ON THE FRONT FOOT. WE CAN'T LET UP. WE KNOW WE'VE GOT CHINA AT HOME, WHICH IS HARD, AND WE'VE GOT HONG KONG BEFORE THAT. WE HAVE TO BE AGGRESSIVE, KEEP THAT INTENSITY" WebsterWebster

"It's huge motivation for us," Webster said. "Obviously, you have to be at the Worlds to get to the Olympics. It was disappointing not to go to Rio but we've got another opportunity and we're going to work as hard as possible to get there. I'm looking forward to all of the hard work and what's coming up."

In February's Qualifiers, Webster had 18 points in the 82-73 triumph over the Chinese in Dongguan and he then exploded for 30 in a 93-84 victory over the Koreans in Seoul.

The first of the last two opening roundQualifiers are against Hong Kong in Adams' hometown of Rotorua on June 28. New Zealand will then go up against China in Auckland on July 1. The Second Round gets underway in September.

For now, Webster and his teammates are savoring two famous wins. They began the Qualifiers with an 86-80 defeat to Korea in Wellington on November 23 and a 133-74 triumph at Hong Kong on November 26. After three straight wins, New Zealand are first in Group A.

The team is getting terrific contributions from numerous players, including veteran center Alex Pledger.

"It was a good two games for us," said Webster, who is making it a habit to play very well for his country. He was the Tall Blacks' best player at the last World Cup in Spain.

"Obviously the result in November, we were a bit disappointed with our performance on that night. We kept that loss in the back of our minds. We had that little bit of extra motivation.

"We believe we're better than these teams and wanted to prove it. It was a team effort. I'm proud of the boys, two really good games.

"Now it's about staying on the front foot. We can't let up. We know we've got China at home, which is hard, and we've got Hong Kong before that. We have to be aggressive, keep that intensity."

On the books of Israeli side Ironi Nahariya, Webster is a fan of having national team games in the international windows.

"I love the international break, especially now that I'm playing overseas and am away from my brothers in the Tall Blacks team," he said. "Getting back together, and also getting refreshed from the (domestic) season, it's a long one. So to refresh the mind, see some other people is great."

Webster, a part of the senior team since 2008, answers yes when asked if he's a leader.

"I've been a part of this Tall Blacks team for a long time, now, since I was 18," he said. "I'm usually one that leads through my actions on the court but now I've kind of embraced the communication side and everything that comes with it. Obviously we've got others like Tom Abercrombie and Mika Vukona who are leaders, too.

"Over the last couple of years, it's come naturally as some of the older guys have left the team. Paul (Tall Blacks coach Henare) also talked to me. He said, 'Now is your time. We've got some younger players that look up to you, you've been playing for a long time.'"

Webster didn't want to but missed last year's FIBA Asia Cup in Lebanon. A young Tall Blacks team finished fourth.

"A lot of us agreed to sit," he said. "It was tough because I always want to be there. There's nothing like pulling on that black jersey and representing my country.

 "I LOVE THE INTERNATIONAL BREAK, ESPECIALLY NOW THAT I'M PLAYING OVERSEAS AND AM AWAY FROM MY BROTHERS IN THE TALL BLACKS TEAM. GETTING BACK TOGETHER, AND ALSO GETTING REFRESHED FROM THE (DOMESTIC) SEASON, IT'S A LONG ONE. SO TO REFRESH THE MIND, SEE SOME OTHER PEOPLE IS GREAT" WebsterWebster

"I know that it was for the betterment of the program, so the younger guys were able to step up. For the long run, I knew for them, it was going to be huge for their experience and confidence, so I'm happy for them."

Webster also says it's been a breath of fresh air to be able to compete in Asia as a part of FIBA's new system of competition.

"It was always tough in Oceania, you always had Australia to compete with, and we then lost those games to qualify (for the Olympics) in even tougher tournaments with teams from Europe and some teams from all over," he said.

"I think it helps us to play against teams like Lebanon and Iran, China and these other teams. It's good for us to be playing games."

FIBA