Basketball: Webster playing for promotion

Corey Webster
Corey Webster
The offseason has provided a pair of reasons to think Corey Webster will continue his ascendant career with the Breakers.

First the club parted ways with Daryl Corletto, the starting shooting guard for the last three seasons and the man consigning Webster to the bench in the previous campaign.

Then Webster highlighted his credentials to earn an elevation to the starting five, featuring among the tournament's top 20 scorers while leading the Tall Blacks to the last 16 at the World Cup in Spain.

In combination, the exit of Corletto and the effectiveness of his former understudy bode well for Webster. But even if he has the opportunity to snatch the two-guard spot when the new Australian NBL season tips off next month, Webster is taking nothing for granted.

"I'd hope so," he said of the prospect of increased minutes. "You never know. The Breakers have a different style of basketball and whatever the coach says goes. So I'll just do whatever Deano [Vickerman] says."

Vickerman certainly sounded willing to entrust Webster with a good chunk of the club's scoring load even if, as the coach explained, the promotion would put the 25-year-old in uncharted territory.

"That's starting two-spot is there for him and it's not a role that he's really had with us," Vickerman said. "Even with the Tall Blacks, he was still coming in and being that spark off the bench.

"So I'm really looking forward to seeing his development. If he keeps progressing the way he's bee progressing the last couple of seasons, he could be anywhere in the next few years."

There's no reason to think that progression will stumble against a road block this season, not after Webster's efforts in Spain. There he finished with 13.7 points per game, including a game-high haul of 26 in the Tall Blacks' round-of-16 loss to Lithuania.

"It's huge for your confidence to play against that level of player and still contribute out there on the court," Webster said. "Hopefully that's going to carry over well heading into this season."

His first chance to test that theory will arrive at this weekend's preseason tournament in Brisbane, although Webster will be playing limited minutes while he rests a nagging ankle injury.

- By Kris Shannon of APNZ

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