NZL - Webster making a good impression

LINCOLN (NCAA/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Tai Webster looks like a natural on the basketball court when he wears the New Zealand shirt.

The Auckland native represented his country at the inaugural FIBA 3x3 U18 World Championship in Italy in 2011 and won a gold medal while the following year, Webster played for the Tall Blacks at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament (OQT) in Caracas, Venezuela.

Only 17 at the time of the OQT, the 1.92m combo guard played big minutes under coach Nenad Vucinic and averaged 13.5 points.

In a win over Angola, Webster dazzled, drilling five of six shots from long range en route to a game-high 21 points.

Now, Webster is getting his feet wet in the American college game at the University of Nebraska.

So far, so good.

Webster averaged almost 10 points per game in his six outings with the Huskers.

Of late, he's not been putting many shots up from the field yet is still making an impact.

The Kiwi has been more of a distributor, averaging 4.5 assists in the last four games.

In a 60-49 triumph over the Miami Hurricanes on 4 December in Lincoln, Nebraska, a clash that marked the end of the Big Ten/ACC Challenge, Webster attempted just one shot from the floor and had five points, yet he finished with game-highs in steals (four) and assists (five).

The pundits didn't expect much of Nebraska this season, with most predicting the Huskers would end up at the bottom of the Big Ten.

The team has nevertheless won seven of its 10 games.

It was clear before the start of the regular season that Webster, despite having raised his profile by playing for the Tall Blacks, had kept his feet on the ground.

"It's a huge change,'' he said of the transition to college basketball.

"It's a lot more high-paced, and there are more athletic people out here.

"But I'm trying to adjust as best as I can.

"I think I'm doing a good job of creating for my teammates. I should work on scoring a little more.''

Webster made those comments after an exhibition game last month against the University of Nebraska at Kearney.

He had contributed 12 points and also finished with five rebounds, three assists, two blocks and two steals in 23 minutes.

Almost 8,000 fans watched that pre-season contest in the 15,174-capacity Pinnacle Bank Arena.

"It was a new experience for me, being in front of a college crowd," he said.

"This is amazing. I've never played in a gym quite this big.

"And the fans are amazing as well.''

Next up for Nebraska and Webster is a home game against The Citadel on Saturday.

Nebraska will discover how good they are once the conference battles are waged against heavyweights like Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Illinois, Indiana and Wisconsin.

The Huskers have a date at Iowa on 31 December.

If Webster continues to have a positive experience with the Huskers, the Tall Blacks, who are going to play at the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup in Spain, are only going to benefit.

FIBA