Most toddlers finish dribbling when they are 1.
That is when Hawaii’s Justin Webster began.
“I played basketball since I was 1,” Webster said. “Ever since I was born I had a basketball in my hand. My mom said my first word was ‘ball.’ Basketball has been with me all my life.”
That has been evident this freshman season with Webster contributing as a part-time starter and full-time offensive threat. As an injury replacement for starting wing Samuta Avea the past two games, Webster is averaging 13 points while boosting the Rainbow Warriors’ new-look, three-guard attack.
“Ton of energy,” point guard Drew Buggs said of the 6-foot-3 Webster. “He’s a great young guy who’s getting better each and every game. His confidence is growing. He came right, ready to go. It’s not a surprise to us. We see it every day in practice. He’s talented. He wants to get better. He wants to learn.”
Avea has been practicing and might be available for tonight’s road game against UC Santa Barbara. If Avea starts, Webster is valued as a reserve who can be used at the point, off guard or wing. Webster is third among the ’Bows with 25 successful 3s.
Webster linked his 36.2% 3-point shooting to training under his father, Jeff Webster, an All-Big Eight player at Oklahoma and the Miami Heat’s second-round selection in 1994.
“My dad taught me how to shoot,” Webster said. “He was a great shooter at Oklahoma, one of the best shooters there. I listened to everything he said about shooting, and I ran with it. … When I shoot, I have to leave a little gap between my fingers to make sure the ball goes off my middle finger and my index finger.”
The rest of the recipe is confidence. “That’s the biggest thing about shooting a basketball,” Webster said. “If you have that confidence to make it, you’re going to make shots.”
Webster, who was born and reared in Dallas, attended Prestonwood Christian Academy through 11th grade. It was during a club tournament on the East Coast that Webster drew interest from Hargrave Military Academy in Chatham, Va. “We took a visit the next week, and I fell in love with it,” Webster said of touring Hargrave.
Webster weighed Hargrave’s opportunities against leaving a school he attended since kindergarten. “It was definitely hard to leave the friends I grew up with,” Webster said. “I made life-long friendships. But at the end of the day, I had to do what was best for me, and I felt it was best for me to leave.”
At Hargrave, he adjusted to a military-style routine.
“From Monday through Thursday, we’d get up at 6 o’clock,” Webster said. “On Fridays, we’d get up at 6:30. It all built discipline. You had to wake up early. You had to make sure your room was spotless, your bed was made, the trash was taken out, your clothes were all folded. It prepared me for college life.”
He also was able to compete in basketball games against junior college teams. And he made it back to Dallas to attend Prestonwood’s senior prom.
At UH, Webster and second-year freshman Zoar Nedd are roommates. Their room is neat and organized. “Of course,” Webster said, smiling.
Webster also has bonded with his teammates. In particular, Webster and Eddie Stansberry are in sync with Buggs to release downcourt for long passes in transition.
“They tell me they’re going to run,” Buggs said, “I tell them I’m going to find them.”
BIG WEST BASKETBALL
>> Who: Hawaii (14-6, 5-1 BWC) at UC Santa Barbara (14-8., 3-4 BWC)
>> When: 5 p.m today
>> Where: The Thunderdome in Santa Barbara, Calif.
>> TV: None
>> Radio: KKEA 1420-AM
>> Streaming: BigWest.tv
