Webster's drive to improve paying off on the court
IOWA CITY, Iowa - After Nebraska wrapped up its pregame meal just hours before its showdown with No. 19 Iowa on Tuesday night, the players were given a bit of down time at the team hotel before loading up the bus for Carver-Hawkeye Arena.
While most of the Huskers went back to their rooms to rest up for the game, Tai Webster decided to go to work.
The junior guard took the opportunity to watch even more game film on the Hawkeyes than NU already had in an effort to get a better grasp of how he could best attack a team that had just knocked off two straight ranked opponents in No. 1 Michigan State and No. 14 Purdue.
The extra effort translated into a career night for Webster, as he led the Huskers with a career-high 22 points on 7-of-11 shooting, was 6-of-7 from the free throw line, and hauled in six rebounds to serve as one of the few bright spots in a 77-66 defeat.
“They’ve got some great players on their team, obviously, and they’re tough to match up with,” Webster said. “Obviously they’re ranked for a reason, so you’ve got to do all the things like that, a little extra film here and there, just to see some of their tendencies. I think it paid off.”
Not only did bonus film session help prepare Webster even more for Nebraska’s first Big Ten road game of the season, it also made quite the impression on head coach Tim Miles.
“Gee, why is it that a kid who does a little extra work and a little extra video work, whatever it might be, goes out and has a good game?” Miles said. “I think it said a lot about his mentality coming in ready to play. Tai is doing better and better.”
Tuesday night’s performance marked Webster’s second 20-point outing of the season (he had 21 against Cincinnati) and his eighth double-figure scoring effort in Nebraska’s past 13 games.
To put that stretch - which also includes earning all-tournament honors at the Barclays Classic - into better perspective, Webster had only posted seven double-figure scoring games in his first two full seasons as a Husker combined.
Miles said Webster appears to finally be coming into his own after undoubtedly struggling to live up to the lofty expectations set for him when he signed with Nebraska as a high-profile recruit from Auckland, New Zealand, back in 2013.
“He came in with all these expectations, and that was difficult for him I think emotionally, mentally,” Miles said. “And he’s been a lot better for us this year.”
Since the start of the season Webster has made it a priority to attack the basket first rather than settle for long jump shots, something he admittedly did far too often earlier in his career. As a result, he currently ranks third on the team with 9.8 points per game while shooting 48.7 percent from the field and a team-high 80 percent from the charity stripe.
But individual performance will always take a backseat to team success for Webster, and considering Nebraska is sitting at 8-8 overall and 0-3 in Big Ten play, this season can only be viewed as a disappointment thus far.
However, as Webster continues to see growth in his own game, he’s also convinced the Huskers are steadily improving each time they step on the court. Eventually, he thinks that progress will translate into a big turnaround for NU.
“We’re just right on the edge,” Webster said. “I think for us, it’s really about to tip over, and I think we’re going to string a couple (wins) up and we’re going to be on our way… Just because we know we’re putting in the work. We’re practicing hard, and when we’re out there it feels like we’re getting better. It’s obviously showing. We’re playing some tough teams really close, and I think we’re doing a good job.”