Tai Webster Season 2016-17

2016-17 (Senior)
Tai (pronounced Tie) Webster was one of the Big Ten's best performers in 2016-17, averaging 17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.0 assists and 1.4 steals per game. He finished among the Big Ten leaders in scoring (fourth), steals (fifth) and assists (eighth) during his senior season. 

• No Husker had averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game before Webster accomplished the feat in 2016-17. In fact, the last Husker to average 16.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game was Cookie Belcher in 2000-01 (16.4 ppg; 5.1 rpg; 4.4 apg) and only two other Huskers have done it since 1994 (Erick Strickland in 1994-95 and Tyronn Lue in 1997-98).
• Became just the ninth Big Ten player since 1993-94 to average 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game, joining a list which includes D'Angelo Russell, Michael Finley, Evan Turner and Denzel Valentine among others.
• According to Stats, Inc., Webster became just the sixth Big Ten player in the last 20 years to average 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game in Big Ten Conference action. Webster finished Big Ten play at 17.3 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
• He led the Huskers in both double-figure (30) and 20-point games (nine), as he had a career-high 28 points, along with nine rebounds at Michigan on Jan. 14. Entering this season, Webster had just two 20-point games in his Husker career.
• Webster was exceptional against the Huskers best foes, as he averaged 19.3 points, 4.8 rebounds, 4.8 assists and 1.7 steals per game in NU's six games against ranked opponents in 2016-17.
• Webster earned his first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week award on Jan. 2, as he averaged 19.5 points, 3.5 assists, 3.0 steals and 3.0 rebounds per game in helping NU to wins over No. 16 Indiana and Maryland. He keyed NU's comeback at Maryland with 18 points, including the Huskers' final seven points, in a 67-65 win.
• Led NU with nine 20-point performances in 2016-17 and was in double figures in 30 of 31 games.
• Finished his Husker career with 12 points, five rebounds and three assists before fouling out against Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament opener
• Posted his first career double-double at Michigan State with 19 points and a career-high 10 rebounds
• Paced Nebraska with 17 points, three assists, three rebounds and two steals at Ohio State, scoring 11 first-half points
• Led NU with 19 points and five assists vs. No. 7 Wisconsin
• Went over 1,000 career points at Iowa, as he totaled 14 points, six rebounds and six assists
• Keyed the win over Purdue with 15 points and team highs in both rebounds (eight) and assists (six)
• Totaled 23 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals at Northwestern
• Established career highs in both points (28) and rebounds (nine) at Michigan and led NU with four assists
• Matched his then-career high with 23 points while adding seven assists, six rebounds and four steals in the double OT win over Iowa, scoring the go-ahead point with 47 seconds left in the second overtime
• Topped NU with 18 points and five assists at Maryland, scoring the last seven points as NU overcame a 13-point deficit with a 14-0 game-ending run
• Totaled 21 points, four rebounds and four assists in the victory over No. 16 Indiana
• Led NU at No. 3 Kansas with 22 points and five assists, marking the first time in his career he has had consecutive 20-point games (also vs. No. 10 Creighton)
• Posted his fourth 20-point game of the season vs. No. 10 Creighton with 20 points, six rebounds and four assists
• Averaged 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists in three games at the Wooden Legacy
• Was one of the bright spots in the loss to Virginia Tech, matching his career high in both points (23) and rebounds (8)
• Turned in a strong effort vs. No. 14 UCLA with 19 points and dished out seven assists
• Scored 17 of his career-high 23 points in the first half against Louisiana Tech, as he went 11-of-12 from the line and chipped in six rebounds and four assists

2016 (Summer)
Webster represented New Zealand in the FIBA Olympic Tournament Qualifier in July of 2016, playing in all three games to help New Zealand reach the semifinals. He averaged 16.3 points per game and 9.7 rebounds per game despite being the youngest player on New Zealand’s 12-man roster. Webster finished tournament play second among all players in rebounding, fifth in scoring and sixth in field goal percentage and assists. His tournament was highlighted by a pair of double-doubles, including a 15-point, 10-rebound effort against Canada in the semifinals.

2015-16 (Junior)
One of the most improved players in the Big Ten, Webster put together the best season of his career in 2015-16. He played in all 34 games, averaging 10.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game, doubling his previous bests in both categories. The 6-foot-4 guard also ranked fifth in the BIg Ten in steals at 1.4 per game.

Webster, who made 18 starts, reached double figures 16 times, including a pair of 20-point efforts. He closed the season by playing some of his best basketball in the Big Ten Tournament, averaging 14.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game to help the Huskers to the quarterfinals. He scored 12 of his 17 points in the second half against No. 18 Maryland, as the Huskers cut a 25-point deficit to six points in the final minute. He also keyed NU's win over Rutgers with 18 points, five rebounds and four assists. Webster moved back into the starting lineup for the Huskers' final six games and averaged 12.2 points, 5.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals per game in that stretch.

In Big Ten play, he averaged 9.9 points, 4.3 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game while shooting 45 percent from the field. Webster reached double figures in Big Ten play eight times, including a career-high 22 point effort at No. 19 Iowa on Jan. 5. In that game, he hit 7-of-11 shots and also added five rebounds in 33 minutes off the bench. He also had 17 points and three steals at No. 21 Purdue and added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and five rebounds at Illinois. He had nine of his 17 points in a 17-4 first-half run.

After a slow start to the season, Webster enjoyed a breakout performance at the Barclays Center Classic to earn a spot on the all-tournament team. In the opener, Webster set then career bests in points (21) and rebounds (eight) in a four-point loss to No. 24 Cincinnati. The following day, he followed up with an 18-point effort in a win over Tennessee. He also had 15 points in a loss at Crieghton.

2015 (Spain Trip)
Webster was one of the Huskers' most consistent performers on the trip to Spain, averaging 11.8 points, 2.5 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game. He reached double figures three times, including 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting in the win over Eurocolegio Casvi.

2014-15 (Sophomore)
Webster emerged as one of the first Huskers off the bench, backing up All-Big Ten performers Terran Petteway and Shavon Shields. He played in 30 games, averaging 3.9 points and 1.9 rebounds per game in 18.4 minutes per game. In all, he had three games in double figures, including a pair of 13-point efforts, and led NU in assists on five occasions in 2014-15. Webster, who fell out of the rotation early in Big Ten play, found a role as NU’s energy guy off the bench and his improved defense showed in other facets of his game. In his final 13 appearances off the bench, he shot nearly 40 percent from the field, including 35 percent from 3-point range, and had a 1.3-to-1 assist-to-turnover ratio.

Webster got off to a slow start in Big Ten play, totaling just five points and playing just 27 minutes during NU’s first five conference games before earning an opportunity against Minnesota on Jan. 20. In that game, he helped limit Andre Hollins to just 2-of-10 shooting in the second half of Nebraska’s 52-49 win. Webster built off that performance with his best game of the season, scoring 13 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, going 7-of-8 from the line, and adding three rebounds and a pair of steals in 28 minutes to key a 79-77 win over Michigan State on Jan. 24. He nearly keyed a comeback at Penn State, totaling five points and four steals as NU whittled a 20-point second-half deficit to three before falling, as he had five points off the bench in four consecutive games. In all, he scored at least three points in nine of his last 11 contests.

Webster started NU’s first three games before moving to the bench to give the Huskers more scoring punch. He reached double figures in two of NU’s first four games, scoring 13 points on 5-of-7 shooting and recording four steals against Central Arkansas. He keyed NU’s win over Omaha with 10 points and a season-high four assists in 28 minutes off the bench. It was one of four games in non-conference action where he scored at least seven points off the bench. Webster’s biggest contributions in non-conference action came in the double overtime win over Cincinnati on Dec. 13, when he scored all nine of his points in the second half and the two overtimes. His hustle play and offensive rebound with 1:18 left in the second OT led to Benny Parker’s game-winning basket against the Bearcats. Webster also had seven points off the bench against Tennessee-Martin and Incarnate Word.

2014 (Summer)
Webster competed for New Zealand's Senior National Team, including the FIBA World Cup in Spain, helping his team to the round of 16. He averaged 5.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 assists per game despite being the fourth-youngest player in the tournament. Webster had eight points, seven rebounds and three assists in a win over the Ukraine and added seven points and five rebounds against Turkey. Against Team USA he had four points and a pair of blocked shots in 15 minutes against the eventual gold medalists.

2013-14 (Freshman)
Webster was an immediate contributor for the Huskers as a true freshman, averaging 3.9 points, 2.1 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game in helping the Huskers reach the NCAA Tournament. He led NU with 63 assists and also was 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.

In Big Ten play, Webster started all 18 games, as he split time with Benny Parker during the second half of the season. He averaged just 2.6 points per game in conference play, but helped the Huskers in other areas as he was second on the team in assists (31) and fourth in steals (13) while hitting 73 percent from the foul line after entering Big Ten play at 56 percent. He enjoyed his best effort in conference play against Penn State on Feb. 23, totaling 10 points, a season-high five rebounds and a team-best three assists. It marked his first double-digit effort in Big Ten play, as he went 8-of-10 from the line against the Nittany Lions. Webster also performed well in NU’s win over No. 18 Ohio State with nine points, including 5-of-6 from the foul line, and two rebounds. Webster had five points and four assists in 29 minutes in the win over Minnesota on Jan. 26 and had four points, two assists and two steals against Indiana on Jan. 30. He dished out four assists and matched his personal best with four steals at No. 22 Iowa on Dec. 31.

In his collegiate debut, Webster totaled nine points, two rebounds and an assist in helping the Huskers to a 79-55 win over Florida Gulf Coast. He reached double figures for the first time in his young career against South Carolina State on Nov. 17, totaling 13 points, four rebounds and two assists. He had 12 points and two assists in a loss to UMass on Nov. 22, before enjoying the best game of his career on Nov. 24 against Georgia. In that game, he came off the bench to score 14 points and dish out three assists in NU’s 73-65 win. Webster scored 13 of his points in the second half and went 7-of-9 from the foul line. The Georgia game began a five-game stretch where he averaged 4.2 assists per game, dishing out five dimes against Miami, Creighton and Arkansas State.

Before Nebraska
Webster has enjoyed a decorated career on the international stage, as well as in his native New Zealand. After graduating from Westlake Boys High School, Webster played for the Waikato Pistons in the National Basketball League in New Zealand in 2012-13, averaging 18.5 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game despite being the youngest player in the league. In his final year in school, Webster led the Westlake Boys High School and Coach Ben Eves to the National Secondary Schools Basketball Championships in October of 2012, scoring 24 points en route to garnering tournament MVP honors.