BIO: Corey Webster was born and raised in Auckland (NZ) and attended Westlake Boys High School. He began playing junior basketball for North Harbour Basketball Association before moving to the United States in 2007 to attend college at Lambuth University, a NAIA school.

FAMILY: Corey’s brother, Tai Webster also played 74 games in the NBL.

NBL EXPERIENCE

Corey Webster made his NBL debut with the New Zealand Breakers at 19 years of age. He went scoreless in his first NBL game.

Webster came through the New Zealand Breakers development and academy programmes, joining the team in June 2008 as a development player.

Webster saw limited opportunities to play, appearing in only seven games and averaging 0.4 points, 0.1 rebounds, and 0.6 assists. The Breakers finished with a record of 18-12 and in third place during the regular season.

2009/10
Having achieved their first-ever playoff appearance the season prior, coach Andrej Lemanis returned with the majority of Breakers roster intact, losing only Phill Jones (to Cairns) and Tim Behrendorff (to Wollongong). Having played with one import last season, Rick Rickert, the Breakers added Dave Thomas (via Cairns) to add veteran leadership to the club but prior to the season starting, he was forced to retire from playing in the NBL due to injury. Former NBA talent Awvee Storey was then signed as his replacement and development player Thomas Abercrombie was elevated to the full squad.

New Zealand struggled through the first half of the season, mainly due to missing their leading scorer Kirk Penney (23.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 2.7 assists) due to a back injury that saw him sidelined for nine games. In addition to this, Storey (7.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 0.8 assists) fell well short of expectations and was released after nine games with the club stating ‘things weren’t working out’. John Rillie (4.3 points and 1.6 rebounds), who had been released by Townsville the season prior, signed with the club as a interim replacement and appeared in 12 games.

New Zealand was then boosted by the midseason addition of import Kevin Braswell (9.7 points, 2.1 rebounds, 5.4 assists, and 2.3 steals), who played in the Breakers final seven games, winning the last six in a row.

New Zealand’s late-season surge proved to be in vain, as the Breakers missed the playoffs during one of the closest NBL seasons of all-time. Despite New Zealand being only two games behind league leaders Perth, they would miss the playoffs and finish in fifth place (15-13).

In Webster’s second season as a development player, he appeared in 10 games and averaged 2.9 points, 0.5 rebounds, and 0.6 assists.

2010/11
In 2010, the Breakers re-added Mika Vukona to their ranks, whilst adding former Utah State standout Gary Wilkinson to the mix alongside the returning Kevin Braswell. This season also saw 22-year-old Corey Webster elevated into the Breakers full-time roster.

The season began with Kirk Penney missing the start of the season while he attempted to earn a NBA contract, failing to do that, he re-joined the Breakers after the first month of the season. Despite missing Penney the Breakers won their first five games of the season before losing 114–74 to the Wildcat’s in Perth.

Kirk Penney (20 points, 4 rebounds, and 2.3 assists per game) would finish as the team’s leading scorer, with the Breakers finishing the regular season with a 22–6 record and Webster averaging 4 points, 0.7 rebounds, and 0.9 assists.

The Breakers finishing on top of the ladder saw them face fourth-placed Perth in the semifinals. The Breakers lost game one to the Perth Wildcats at home, before recovering to win the series 2–1, qualifying for their first ever NBL Grand Final. The Breakers met the Cairns Taipans in the championship round and coasted to a 85–67 win in game one after leading by as much as 31 in the third-quarter. The team’s then fought out a gripping game two in Cairns. Tied 60–60 at the end of regulation and 73–73 at the end of the first overtime, it was Cairns who prevailed 85–81 to send the series to a third and deciding game. Back at home for game three on 29 April 2011, the Breakers recorded a comfortable 71–53 win to claim their maiden NBL Championship, becoming the first New Zealand side to win a major Australian championship.

2011/12
Webster saw his contract with the Breakers terminated after testing positive to synthetic cannabis during the semi finals of last year’s NBL title run, his second positive drugs test inside two years. This led to a one year WADA imposed suspension and him missing the 2011/12 NBL season.

“It is a unfortunate situation for Corey, however this is a action we had to take as a club,” said General Manager Richard Clarke at the time.

“The second positive test breaches the previous agreement between Corey and the club, and he has also breached team protocols and club values. We felt the termination of Corey’s contract was the most appropriate action for all parties.”

2012/13
The 2012 off-season saw the departure of Gary Wilkinson and the elevation of promising New Zealand centre Alex Pledger to the starting lineup. Cedric Jackson was re-signed and New Zealand brought back guard Corey Webster who had served out his 12-month ban for the use of banned substances.

On November 30, 2012, Jackson recorded his first career triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists against the Melbourne Tigers. It was only the second triple-double recorded since the NBL went to 40-minute games at the start of the 2009/10 season.

In February 2013, the Breakers extended their club-best winning streak to 11, a record that by mid-March had been extended to fifteen straight games. On March 24, Jackson (14.6 points, 5.9 rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 2.8 steals) was named the NBL’s Most Valuable Player for the 2012/13 season as well as named to the All-NBL First Team after he led the league in assists and steals for the second straight year.

Webster continued to show improvement and was rewarded with greater opportunity, his court time jumping from 13 minutes per game to 20 minutes and boosting his numbers to 7.6 points (career high), 1.3 rebounds, and 1.1 assists per game. The Breakers went on to finish on top of the ladder once again with a 24–4 record, going on to face Perth in a re-match of the previous year’s grand final. The Wildcats enter the series shorthanded, having lost starting guard Damian Martin suffering to achilles injury prior to the playoffs. To cover his absence Brad Robbins had been signed on to take Martin’s place, but with the team missing Martin, the Breakers defeated Perth in two straight games. The Breakers made history by delivering a clean sweep of the postseason, capping it all off with a dramatic 70–66 victory over the Wildcat’s in game two.

Jackson was subsequently named Grand Final MVP as the team delivered a historic three-peat title.

2013/14
After winning three consecutive championships with New Zealand, Lemanis was named head coach of the Australian men’s national basketball team. His departure saw assistant Dean Vickerman elevated to head coach and tasked with extending the Breakers championship streak.

Vickerman was taking over a Breakers squad that had lost star import Cedric Jackson (Europe) and Dillon Boucher through retirement and, as a result, started the season poorly, losing three out of their first four games. The poor start led to Vickerman sending out a SOS to former Breakers favourite and two-time champion Gary Wilkinson (15.4 points, 6.7 rebounds and 1.1 assists), who joined the team in late October. By January, the Breakers made a second move and brought in Casey Frank (5.8 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 1.6 assists) to replace the injured Alex Pledger (10.0 points, 7.3 rebounds and 1.7 blocks), who had multiple stints on the sidelines and only managed to appear in 13 games.

American guard Kerron Johnson (12.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), who had signed as a replacement for Jackson, struggled to fill the large void left at the point guard spot, and Thomas Abercrombie (15.5 points, 3.9 rebounds, 1.2 assists) had to shoulder the load for much of the season, finding himself with a lack of space due to Johnson’s lacklustre range. After not being able to put more than two consecutive wins together all year, they ended their season in seventh place (11–17).

The positives for the season came in the form of career-high scoring efforts from young guard duo Webster (8.5 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Reuben Te Rangi (5.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 0.6 assists) whose improving play showed promise for the Breakers future.

2014/15
After a dismal season the year prior, where the team missed out on the NBL playoffs despite having won the previous three seasons in a row, the Breakers regrouped by replacing imports Kerron Johnson and Gary Wilkinson with big man Ekene Ibekwe and fan favourite Cedric Jackson, who had led the team to back-to-back titles previously (2012, 2013).

This season saw the exits of CJ Bruton (retired) and Daryl Corletto (to Melbourne) and replaced with Rhys Carter (via Adelaide) and Tai Wesley, who qualified as a local player due to being born in Guam under the league’s Asian player rule.

The Breakers kickstarted the season with back-to-back wins over Perth and Adelaide before suffering back-to-back losses to Cairns and Melbourne. In what was a highly competitive season, New Zealand was able to reel off multiple five game winning streaks behind the offensive talent of both Jackson (14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 2.2 steals) and Corey Webster (15.3 points, 2.4 rebounds and 1.7 assists), who moved into the starting lineup and become one of the league’s premier scorers.

The Breakers battled all season long for top spot alongside Perth and Cairns, eventually finishing in second place (19–9).

in the semifinals, New Zealand would face third-placed Adelaide, who had won their final ten regular season games and entered the playoffs as the hottest team in the competition. Despite the 36ers’ hot form, the Breakers made light work of them in game one (111–82), with Webster (24 points) delivering a career-high scoring effort at Vector Arena. Game two then moved to Adelaide, where they again had the upper hand the entire game, defeating the 36ers (94–83) and moving on to the Grand Final.

There, they met the Cairns Taipans, who had become the first regional centre team to win the minor premiership since the Geelong Cats did so in 1984. Despite Cairns having home-court advantage, New Zealand easily claimed game one (86–71), with Jackson (22 points) top scoring. Game two shifted to Auckland, where after a tight contest the entire game, Taipans guard Scottie Wilbekin tied the game behind two free throws with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. Coming out of a timeout, Ibekwe caught a inbounds pass, turned and hit a game-winning fade-away shot to lift the Breakers over the Taipans (83–81) and clinch New Zealand’s fourth title in five seasons. Jackson was subsequently named Grand Final MVP for the second time in his career after adding to his 22 points in game one with 15 points in game two.

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2015/16
The Breakers retained every player from their 2015 championship-winning roster minus Rhys Carter (to Sydney) and Ekene Ibekwe (to Europe). To replace the pair, the club picked up Australian point guard Shane McDonald and rookie American big man Charles Jackson. New Zealand’s pre-season was met with a number of challenges which included Alex Pledger being absent due to recovering from off-season foot surgery, Thomas Abercrombie being forced to the sidelines with a nagging hamstring strain and the exit of Corey Webster, who headed to the US to trial with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a move to replace them, the Breakers elevated development players Shea Ili and Tai Wynyard, while also signing Everard Bartlett as a replacement for Webster.

New Zealand were handed a shock loss to Adelaide in their season opener (71-90). Without Webster, Abercrombie and Pledger, the Breakers had limited scoring options, the highest scorer being Cedric Jackson (14 points). At half-time, the score was 51–26 in the 36ers favour, which saw the team’s 26 points become the second lowest first-half score and second biggest halftime deficit in team history.

The team’s second game was also Cedric Jackson’s 99th NBL game, where he recorded his fourth career triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high 14 assists in the Breakers’ 89–81 win over the Townsville Crocodiles. Jackson (12.9 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.4 assists and 1.3 steals per game) garnered 77 wins over his first 99 games in the NBL (77.7%), a mark that ranks first in NBL history. Funnily, in his 100th game played just three days later, the Breakers were blown out, 96–75 thanks to former club champion Kirk Penney scoring 36 points for the Illawarra Hawks at the WIN Entertainment Centre. Jackson had a career-worst performance. In 28 minutes of action, he failed to make a field goal, going 0-of-7 from the field, 0-of-3 from three-point range, and 1-of-5 from the free throw line.

With a dwindling record (1-3), New Zealand were boosted by the addition of Corey Webster (19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists), who returned after failing to secure a roster spot with the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans. In order to add Webster to the roster, forward Duane Bailey was released and Everard Bartlett, who had been signed as an injury replacement, was retained for the rest of the season. The Breakers then won nine of their next eleven games and were back in title contention (10-5) by Round 10. However, the Breakers stumbled during the final rounds, losing five of their next six games and fell behind fourth-placed Adelaide (11–9) and out of the top four by Round 15. With Webster back in the lineup, the Breakers went on a three-game winning streak to head into Round 5 with a 4–3 record.

After starting the season 1–3, the Breakers won nine of their next 11 games to breeze back into the championship mix with a 10–5 record after Round 10. However, the Breakers went on to lose five of their next six games to slip behind the fourth-placed Adelaide 36ers (11–9) at the conclusion of Round 15 with a 11–10 record.

On November 8, Cedric Jackson recorded his fifth career triple-double with 16 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a loss to Melbourne United.

Jackson played most of January with a toe and Achilles heel injury. He responded to his poor form in the team’s first game of February, recording a season-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and six assists in a 106–84 win over the Adelaide 36ers, keeping the Breakers’ playoff chances alive. With seven 3-pointers, 10 rebounds and six assists, Jackson became the first NBL player to record such stats since John Rillie did so in 1998.

On January 17, 2016, Charles Jackson (10.3 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks) recorded 11 points and 18 rebounds in a 103–96 double overtime loss to the Illawarra Hawks, fouling out in the second overtime. Of his 18 rebounds, 10 of them were offensive, becoming the first player in Breakers’ history to grab 10 offensive rebounds in a game, and the first player in the NBL to record that mark since Rosell Ellis did so in January 2007.

On 21 January, the Breakers lost their fifth straight game, the team’s worst losing streak since the 2008/09 season. Despite the mid-season turmoil, the Breakers managed to fight back and win five straight to edge out the 36ers for the fourth place seed with a 16–12 record.

In the playoffs, the Breakers defeated first-placed Melbourne United in the semifinals with a 2–0 sweep, moving on to their fifth NBL Grand Final appearance in six years. There they faced their archrivals the Perth Wildcats who would rely on the presence inside of Nathan Jawai and the tough defence of Casey Prather to claim a 82–76 victory in game one. With game two back in New Zealand, the Breakers evened the score, winning 72–68 on the back of a near triple-double from import Cedric Jackson who finished with 13 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists.

With the deciding game in Perth and 13,090 of the ‘Red Army’ in attendance, the Wildcats’ made sure to avenge their grand final loss from the previous season. Casey Prather (19 points) and Jermaine Beal (14 points) did most of the damage on the scoreboard for the Wildcats, but it was Damian Martin’s inspirational display in defence that shone the brightest. Martin would be named Grand Final MVP after keeping star Breakers guard Cedric Jackson scoreless on five attempts and forcing him to foul out early in the last term. The Wildcats would go on to claim their seventh NBL championship in a blow-out victory (75–52).

The loss marked the first time New Zealand had lost to the Wildcat’s in playoff history and the team’s first ever grand final series loss.

Webster went on to be named in the All-NBL Second Team, and Webster would average 19.6 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.3 assists for the season.

2016/17
Following the Breakers’ 2016 grand final loss, chief executive Richard Clarke and coach Dean Vickerman parted ways with the organisation, with Paul Henare stepping up from assistant to take the reins as head coach, while Dillon Boucher took control of the front office as general manager.

Joining Dean Vickerman in departure was Cedric Jackson and Tai Wesley, both of whom moved across the Tasman and joined Melbourne United. While retaining Thomas Abercrombie, Corey Webster, Alex Pledger and Mika Vukona, the Breakers acquired the services of club legend Kirk Penney. With two vacant import spots, the Breakers signed Ben Woodside and Akil Mitchell. A strong New Zealand contingent also stepped up from development player roles this season, with Finn Delany, Shea Ili and Jordan Ngatai all being elevated onto the full-time roster.

An injury filled pre-season saw Shea Ili (back), Penney (calf) and Webster (hip and back) suffer injuries that would see them miss multiple games during the first half of the season. Even when Webster did return mid-season, he was never fully recovered and his production dropped from 19.6 ppg to 11.7 ppg as he battled to shake off a prolonged hip injury. After 20 games New Zealand had a total of eight wins and the ‘injury bug’ only got worse. Abercrombie (11.7 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 assists) and Woodside (8.8 points, 3.3 rebounds, 5.5 assists, and 1.3 steals) both spent time missed games due to injury and then in January, during a loss to Cairns (81-94), Mitchell (9.5 points, 7.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists) suffered a poke to the eye from Taipans centre Nnanna Egwu which caused his left eyeball to come out of its socket. He was rushed to hospital and although his vision was restored that night, he returned to the US to seek further specialist advice.

Webster made a valiant second return to the court before the end of the season, but under medical advisement, it was felt his injuries were too serious and he was shut down for the remainder of the season. New Zealand added import forward Paul Carter (9.1 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 0.9 assists) and shortly replaced a underperforming Woodside with David Stockton, the son of NBA Hall of Famer John Stockton. Stockton (8.3 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 4.2 assists) lasted only 10 games before he too succumbed to injury and was replaced by another import, Kevin Dillard.

The combo of Dillard (18.1 points, 4 rebounds, 4.8 assists, and 1.6 steals) and Penney (17.4 points, 3.4 rebounds, and 2.4 assists) helped salvage the remainder of the Breakers’ season. The duo propelled New Zealand to a four game winning streak and revived the Breakers playoff hopes, but after back-to-back losses in round 17, they dropped to fifth place (14–14) and their playoff hopes were shattered.

Despite winning their last two games of the season, they fell short of a playoff spot, finishing in fifth place (14–14). Webster finished the season with averages of 11.7 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.9 assists per game.

2017/18
The 2017 offseason saw the Breakers cut ties with Webster, which led to him signing a two-year deal with the Perth Wildcats, however Webster would never play for the club. Webster played in the 2017 NBA Summer League and was offered a considerably larger deal from Europe and requested a release prior to the NBL season starting.

2018/19
In 2018, a new regime was brought about at the Breakers organisation. In February, a consortium headed by former NBA player Matt Walsh became the majority shareholders via a newly formed company called Breakers Basketball Ltd, thus ending the 13-year Liz and Paul Blackwell ownership team.

Next came the exodus of four of the franchise’s most long-serving figures during the off-season. Paul Henare’s 15 years as player and coach came to an end, New Zealand’s all-time leading scorer Kirk Penney retired, and Alex Pledger (to Melbourne), Mika Vukona (to Brisbane), and young talent Robert Loe (to Cairns) all signed deals elsewhere.

Thomas Abercrombie would step into the role of captain with Vukona’s exit, and former player Kevin Braswell signed up to be the team’s new head coach. Braswell was tasked with remaking the Breakers squad, which included bringing back Tai Wesley (via Melbourne) and Tall Blacks star Corey Webster (via Europe) on a three-year deal. Jarrad Weeks (via Cairns) and Majok Majok (via Melbourne) were later added to finalize the team’s local roster, while Patrick Richard, Armani Moore, and Shawn Long signed as import players.

The Breakers headed to the USA and faced the Phoenix Suns in a preseason NBLxNBA exhibition game to start their season. Despite being heavy underdogs, New Zealand pushed the Suns to the limit, making a late surge to cut the lead to four in the final minute before falling just short in a 91–86 loss. Corey Webster (27 points and 7 assists) and Tai Wesley (15 points and 7 rebounds) led the Breakers offensively. Phoenix, who were without star Devin Booker, relied on Deandre Ayton (21 points and 15 rebounds) and Trevor Ariza (16 points and 6 assists).

New Zealand’s season was marked by inconsistency, injuries, and roster changes, leading to a difficult start with a five-game losing streak in late November and early December. The team struggled to find their footing, winning just four of their first twelve games.

New Zealand’s lacklustre season was also due to several key players not delivering as expected. Corey Webster (10.4 points, 2.0 rebounds, and 2.5 assists), who was once a premier scorer in the league, experienced his worst statistical season in five years. Thomas Abercrombie (8.5 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.1 assists) and Shea Ili (7.9 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 2.8 assists) both saw a decline from last season, while imports Patrick Richard (11.0 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists) and Armani Moore (7.1 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.8 assists) fell short of expectations.

Webster’s top performances this season included a 31-point, 8-assist effort against Melbourne (16 Nov 2018), where he made 11 out of 16 field goals, and a 25-point, 1-assist game against Cairns (9 Nov 2018), shooting 10 out of 16 from the field. He also contributed 18 points and 3 assists against Illawarra (14 Feb 2019), making 6 of 10 field goals and 4 of 7 three-pointers.

In January, New Zealand (8-12) fell to the bottom of the ladder following three consecutive losses, including one to last-placed Cairns. Despite their efforts to regain form, the Breakers ended their season with a 12-16 record, finishing in sixth place and missing the playoffs.

Alongside Webster, the Breakers saw strong contributions from Jarrad Weeks (10.1 points, 1.7 rebounds, and 2.4 assists), who enjoyed a career-best season and was a runner-up for both the Best Sixth Man and Most Improved Player awards. Tai Wesley (14.5 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 3.5 assists) continued his consistent play, while Shawn Long (18.3 points, 8.9 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks) ranked second in the league for both rebounds and blocks, earning a spot on the All-NBL Second Team and winning the Breakers Club MVP.

2019/20
Webster began the 2019/20 NBL season averaging 19.5 points and 3.8 rebounds, and 4.2 assists in 11 games for the Breakers, when in December, he was bought out of his contract in order to sign in China. The Breakers went on to finish in sixth place during the regular season with a 15-13 record.

2020/21
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020/21 season start date was delayed until January 2021. As a result of the pandemic, the Breakers were forced to commit to being based in Australia for the majority of the season. They hosted a number of games as the ‘home’ team in Tasmania and only returned to play their last seven games in New Zealand in late May.

New Zealand had added Brisbane Bullets star import Lamar Patterson and Colton Iverson as import players, while Tai Webster returned to the team, having left in 2013 to play college ball for Nebraska. The Breakers suffered another blow when its leading scorer Corey Webster sliced a nerve in his hand while cutting a avocado with a knife in his kitchen and would miss the first month of the season.

As would be expected from a team playing their first 29 games on the road, wins were few and far between. After narrowly losing to Adelaide in overtime in their first game, they would win only one game (a six-point win over Cairns) in the first eight contests. The sluggish start saw New Zealand release Lamar Patterson (10.8 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists), who had injured his knee against the Hawks on February 22 after just six games. In his previous two seasons with the Bullets, Patterson had averaged 19.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, and 4.1 assists and twice been named a NBL First Team All-Star, but his form for the Breakers was far from his previous stints in the NBL.

With Patterson sidelined, New Zealand added Jeremy Kendle as a short-term replacement and saw a marked improvement, going 3-1 over the next four games.

Due to losing numerous players to injury and personal issues throughout the season, Robert Loe (20 games), Thomas Abercrombie (9), Corey Webster (8) and Tai Webster (7), the team added Australian guard William McDowell-White (7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, and 5 assists) as a nominated replacement player for the injured Corey Webster (13.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists) and Levi Randolph (14.8 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.3 assists, and 1.1 steals), who signed as Patterson’s replacement, resulting the release of Jeremy Kendle (7 points per game) also.

The Breakers sat at the bottom of the ladder on a 4-9 record after their first 13 games prior to the roster changes, which made little difference in the win/loss column. The team also losing five of its next six games. Whilst Webster returned from his hand injury In February, on March 13, he was ruled out again, this time a knee injury keeping him out for four weeks.

The Breakers’ faced additional adversity with COVID-19 forcing them to continually move from city to city, attempting to find places where there was limited COVID impact to be able to play their remaining games. A COVID-19 window saw the team able to return home and play their remaining seven games in New Zealand, where they went 3-4 to finish the season.

Tai Webster (17.2 points, 5 rebounds, 4.9 assists, and 1.2 steals) would lead the team in scoring alongside Finn Delany (16.2 points, 6.8 rebounds, and 2.2 assists), who delivered a breakout season and was named club MVP after boosting his scoring from 12 points per game the previous season.

Webster would average 13.4 points, 3.2 rebounds, and 2.9 assists over the course of the season, while the Breakers finished second last (12-24).

2021/22
Due to the New Zealand Breakers deciding Tai Webster and William McDowell-White would be given the majority of minutes at the guard position moving forward, Webster was offered a release from his contract, which he exercised on 20 August 2021.

PERTH WILDCATS
2022/23
After missing the playoffs for the first time in 35 years under Canadian coach, Scott Morrison announced he was leaving after just one season so he could return home for family reasons. In his place, the Wildcat’s appointed former Townsville Crocodiles star John Rillie as the club’s new head coach on a three-year deal.

Perth retained the majority of its roster, with only Kevin White (to Illawarra) and Matt Hodgson (to Taiwan) not returning. Perth re-signed Bryce Cotton (3 Year Deal), Todd Blanchfield (3 Year Deal) and Jesse Wagstaff (1 Year Deal) and elevated backup guard Kyle Zunic from development player to the full roster. Corey Webster, who the Wildcats had signed to a deal in 2017 only to see him leave before the season started, signed as a free agent. To round out the roster, imports TaShawn Thomas (France) and Brady Manek (North Carolina) were added for some additional scoring punch.

Rillie’s squad began the season nicely, notching up three wins in a row and looking like the Wildcats of old as they sat on top of the NBL ladder. This was then met with a five game losing streak and drop to seventh place, where they hung around until the final month of the season.

During that time, Webster had a number of big moments and plenty of big games. In December, Webster and the Wildcat’s claimed a 98-90 victory over the 36ers in a game that marked 300 games for Perth’s Mitch Norton and 400 games for Adelaide’s Daniel Johnson. The entertaining battle saw many swings and lead changes, but it was the clutch shot making by Wildcats star Cotton in the fourth quarter that sealed the victory. Cotton (32 points) led all scorers with 32 points but the Wildcat’s did not rely solely on Cotton alone, with TaShawn Thomas putting up a season high 22 points and Corey Webster recording 22 points as well.

The following game Webster would notch up his 250th career game in a epic win over Melbourne, where Perth came back to win from a 89-84 deficit with 9 seconds remaining. It started when Todd Blanchfield hit a three-pointer while getting fouled but then missing the bonus free throw. Somehow he managed to grab his own offensive rebound and make a quick pass the ball to Webster, who nailed the game winning three-pointer that sent the RAC Arena crowd into pandemonium. Webster finished with 20 points and 3 assists while Bryce Cotton was the game high scorer with 29 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists in the 90-89 victory which was Perth’s third in a row at the time.

A nuclear performance from Corey Webster also helped the Perth Wildcats snap the New Zealand Breakers’ five-game winning streak with a 92-84 victory. Webster entered the game with extra motivation after Breakers social media posted a unflattering meme comparing the three-time championship winner with a pussycat.Playing in front of family and friends, Webster silenced his former club by exploding for 16 points in the third quarter, including a stretch of 9 straight, before finishing with a season-high 26 points. Brady Manek nailed three triples in a row to put the game out of reach in the final quarter while Bryce Cotton (17 points, 7 assists, 6 rebounds) was also crucial in the win for the Wildcats.

Perth later added Corey’s brother Tai to the roster with six games remaining. Following the signing of Tai Webster, Corey Shervill was released from the Wildcat’s 11-man roster.

The team’s final three games saw them lose to Tasmania (102–94) after allowing the JackJumpers to outscore them 27-15 across the final 10 minutes. A crucial loss to Cairns Taipans (84-71) set up a nail-biting last round where another Perth loss would see United finish sixth and the Wildcat’s eliminated from Finals or a Perth win allowing them to advance to the postseason.

While the Kings were able to lock down Cotton (7 points), Perth got big games out of Corey Webster (26 points, 6 rebounds and 5 assists), Luke Travers (22 points, 11 rebounds and 6 assists) and Brady Manek (21 points, 9 rebounds and 2 steals) to deliver a upset victory (96-84) against the league leading Kings.

The win saw Perth (15-13) claim sixth place on the ladder and advance into the league’s inaugural play-in tournament. There, they would face South East Melbourne in a game where they trailed the entire game until the fourth quarter. During the final term, the Wildcat’s outscored the Phoenix (41-23) and moved on the second round of the play-in tournament, on the back of a seven-point win (106-99). Perth then met Cairns in a game where the winner would advance to the semi finals as the fourth seed.

Although Cairns entered the game without their leading scorer and rebounder Keanu Pinder, a history making effort from DJ Hogg (32 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists) delivered the end to the Wildcats’ season. Hogg would record the most points ever by a Taipan in the playoffs, defeating the Wildcats (78-91) in the process.

Webster finished second in scoring for the Wildcats (15-13), averaging 14.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists across 29 games.

2023/24
Webster signed a two year deal (second year team option) to play with the Wildcats alongside his brother Tai for NBL24.

“Where Corey really separates himself in the NBL is that he can go and get a bucket when necessary, and I will always rely on him to bring a great spirit to our group, whether at practice or on Game Day.” said head coach John Rillie on Webster’s re-signing.

The veteran New Zealander was used sparingly during the season. He appeared in 13 games, scoring in double-digits in five of the first seven matches of the Wildcats’ season, but only seeing courtimes in seven other games.

Webster hit 16 points in 26 minutes in the game-one win over Tasmania at RAC Arena after starting in place of his younger brother Tai who was sidelined with a foot injury. He then followed that up with 11 points and four rebounds in the annual Pink Game victory against Adelaide at home before dropping a dozen to go with five assists and four rebounds against grand finalists Melbourne United.

The 35-year-old averaged 6.1 points, 1.4 rebounds and 0.9 assists for the season, his best games coming in losses to Adelaide (14 points) and Brisbane (11) on October 21 and 27 respectively.

Corey Webster played thirteen seasons in the NBL, playing for both the New Zealand Breakers and the Perth Wildcats. He averaged 11.1 points, 2 rebounds, and 1.9 assists in 286 NBL games.

Dan Boyce (815 Posts)

Dan Boyce is a die-hard Sydney Kings fan who grew up in Melbourne during the roaring 90's of Australian Basketball and spent far too much time collecting Futera NBL Basketball cards.