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Lincoln – Rising senior Tai Webster (Auckland, New Zealand) looks to help New Zealand to an Olympic berth, as the 2016 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament takes place this week.
Webster, a 6-foot-4, 196-pound guard, has spent most of June in training camp in preparation for the tournament, as the team has travelled to China and Latvia before arriving in Manila earlier this week.
Webster, the youngest member of New Zealand’s team, has been the starting point guard throughout the eight-game tour over the last month, averaging 10.8 points, 2.3 assists and 2.1 steals per game entering this week’s tournament.
This week’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament marks Webster’s third tour with the New Zealand National Team. He made his debut at the 2012 FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and also represented New Zealand at the 2014 FIBA World Cup in Spain.
The Olympic Qualifying Tournament runs from July 6-10, as New Zealand will take on the Philippines (July 6) and France (July 7) in preliminary-round games. The semis are on July 9 with the final set for July 10.
New Zealand is one of six teams in Manilla bidding to earn one qualifying spot in the 12-team field in Rio. Nine teams have already qualified while three six-team tournaments will determine the final spots.
New Zealand is ranked third among the six teams in competition, as the team is ranked 21st by FIBA entering the tournament. France (fifth) and Turkey (eighth) are the highest-ranked teams in the field with Canada (26th), the Philippines (28th), Senegal (31st) rounding out the field.
Webster was one of the best sixth men in the Big Ten Conference in 2015-16 for the Huskers, averaging 10.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game while appearing in all 34 contests. He was fourth in the Big Ten in steals and reached double figures 16 times in 2015-16. Webster closed his junior campaign by playing some of his best basketball at the Big Ten Tournament, averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game to help the Huskers to the quarterfinals.