The year was 2015 and a hugely talented but controversial athlete had just shocked the Australasian part of the world by leaving the Aussie leagues to chase glory in America. But while Jarryd Hayne was going through his NFL preseason with the San Francisco 49ers, kiwi basketballer Corey Webster was also trucking away with the New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA preseason. 

Webster reportedly paid his own way to the US to chase his passion as far as he could. In the end he'd return to the New Zealand Breakers as one of the last players cut from the Pelicans roster. He'd put up killer numbers for the Breaks as the team fell narrowly short in the NBL finals. Now, two years later and a fresh member of the Perth Wildcats, Webster is heading back over to try it again with the Dallas Mavericks for an NBA mini-camp.

It's a long shot that he even gets as far as he did last time but it'll be fun to watch and cheer him on. It also puts a new perspective on his last attempt and that's what we've got here. Four weeks worth of updates on the dude's progress as it happened. Some of this is interesting to read because of the circumstances Webster was in, some is straight up funny in hindsight - things really haven't gone to plan for the poor Pellies.

Take in these diaries here as they were written at the time. Have a laugh at the silly bits and take the learnings from the smart bits. She's a tricky old puzzle, the NBA. A tough one to crack.

30 SEPTEMBER 2015

Doesn’t that look flash, now?

Training camp is just getting underway for NBA teams, and the New Orleans Pelicans are as competitive as any. Having narrowly snuck into the playoffs last year for the first time since 2010-11 (when they were the Hornets and Chris Paul still played for them), they were then swept by the eventual champion Golden State Warriors. But with Anthony Davis only beginning his rise to the summit and a number of young players around him, you can definitely make the case that last season was the beginning of a new era for this team.

Despite that promise the team sacked coach Monty Williams after the season and hired GSW assistant Alvin Gentry to replace him. This is a franchise that is very aware of how good it can become around The Brow.

To look at what Corey Webster needs to do to impress, it’s best to look at where this team lagged last year and what Gentry is looking to bring to the Pellies. Coming from Golden State (and Phoenix before that), you know he’s gonna want to have this team playing at a quicker pace. Which benefits Davis too because it means less posting and more coming off picks and stepping outside the key. For a guy with a meteorically improving jump shot, that’s a weapon. As well as that, Gentry has already said that defence is their main priority. Even with their record last campaign they still gave up too many shots too close to the basket and conceded the ninth most points per 100 possessions (104.7).

Entering the camp they have 13 roster spots set and that means that Webster is in competition with Jeff Adrien and Chris Douglas-Roberts (a couple of veterans), Bryce Dejean-Jones (undrafted rookie guard) and Sean Kilpatrick (another undrafted guard who spent time with the T-Wolves last year) all for a single spot on the team.

The thing with Webster is that we simply don’t know how well his game will translate to the highest level. We do know that he must be impressing them though because he’s still there. As a player who held his own against Patty Mills the other month (for the Tall Blacks), that 3&D type role is his best bet and it just so happens that that’s likely what they’re looking for. Adrien and CDR are a little different, both usually forwards though CDR can play a bit of SG, while the other two undrafted lads are more in the Webster mould. It’s a long shot that he makes it from here but he’s in the mix and if he does get the gig, then he’ll have got it on merit through his work.

''They're all good players and have had success, especially Jeff and CDR in the NBA. Corey really has been a good player internationally.'' - Pelicans general manager Dell Demps.

Here’s the GM on Corey specifically:

7 OCTOBER 2015

The longer Corey Webster hangs about with the New Orleans Pelicans, the better his chances become. Last week we looked at those chances and who he’s up against. This week we have some on court action to shout about, as Webby made his NBA pre-season debut against the Indiana Pacers.

It was a slight deviation from what we’d expected too. Webster logged most of his 8 minutes at point guard, a position that he’s played now and then for the Breakers but last season, and for the Tall Blacks, he’s a shooting guard above all else. And that’s the role he’s expected to be challenging for on this roster – though his 6’2 height probably suits a PG better.

Maybe it was because of the logjam between other SG candidates or maybe they wanted to test out the versatility of Webster. Just as Jarryd Hayne’s versatility helped him onto the 49ers, the same is possible for Webster. It helps that his coach, Alvin Gentry, knows a thing or two about point guards too, having coached he likes of Chris Paul, Steve Nash and Steph Curry. The most realistic reason, though, that it’s is down to necessity. Tyreke Evans sat this game out as an injury precaution, while Jrue Holiday was limited to 10 mins and will be on a minute restriction for the start of the season too. Corey Webster was about the only dude left after Norris Cole.

That role wasn’t a huge shock to people who saw him in the Pellies’ open scrimmage last week. Webster played almost entirely at PG there, scoring 6 points and picking up 4 or 5 assists, depending on what you read (it was a training game, so no official stats). He seemed to impress with his ball-handling and ability to pass.

Webster didn’t do a whole lot in his first game, but he didn’t look lost. Of the guys competing for roster spots it was Jeff Adrien (a forward who could be said to be battling more with Kendrick Perkins) who impressed the most, while Sean Kilpatrick had a poor one. Playing the point, Webster didn’t get the chance to pop threes like other candidates. Instead he played provider, one alley-oop to Anthony Davis was a play he won’t soon forget.

The big news from Pelican-ville is that centre Alexis Ajinca did a hammie and will miss 4-6 weeks.

Tell you what else, his shooting on the court is what got him here but it turns out that talent stretches out further than most three pointers:

14 OCTOBER 2015

We have two more games to report on in NBA pre-season as per the fate of Corey Webster. Steven Adams too, but he can have his own article in the next couple weeks. Keep an eye out for that one.

So Corey. To recap, he’s probably in competition with three other guys for one spot: Chris Douglas-Roberts, Bryce Dejean-Jones and Sean Kilpatrick. To date, Kilpatrick’s been crap, BDJ’s been a little quiet, CDR looks like the favourite and Webby’s doing his thing with the time he can muster.

First off they played Atlanta Hawks on the weekend. In which Webby logged eight minutes and hit his first NBA field goal for 2 points (1/4), also getting an assist and a steal.

Then against the Chicago Bulls, in came Corey Webster late in the first and his initial impact was a poor one, fouling a jump shooter for three free throws. But as he got to stretch his legs he was able to run the offence relatively hitch-free, logging 2 points on 1/2 shooting and bagging a pair of assists as well in 5 minutes on the court. Without Eric Gordon or Norris Cole playing, that left big minutes to be filled but unfortunately Corey didn’t get them. It was Sean Kilpatrick, actually, that did the damage, scoring 17 fourth quarter points for 23 total.

As of now it doesn’t look like Webster’s in the front-running. CDR’s been pretty poor despite his potential but Kilpatrick is suddenly looking all sorts of ready. It’s interesting that Webster’s still getting PG responsibilities as the others scrap for SG time (still, the three are playing more than CW every game). Whether that versatility is a positive or he’s just filling a gap while the others battle we don’t know. Unfortunately he’s struggling to get noticed in his time on the court.

The Pellies don’t play again ‘til Saturday (NZT) and after that they have a good run of games in a row, three in five days in fact. Then it’s time for reckoning because the rosters will be set and the real stuff will begin soon after.

A sneaky factor here: Norris Cole is gonna miss all that time with a high ankle sprain, potentially up to six weeks (which leads into the season by several games). That leaves only two proper point guards on the roster, Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday – and the latter’s on a minutes restriction. Kilpatrick has the ability to handle the ball a bit so he’s not too damaged by that, though neither is the dude who’s playing there at the end of the rotation already – Corey Webster. Hmm. Of course, they may try sign another candidate on the short term to challenge for that spot.

21 OCTOBER 2015

Actually, he’s not in the USA any more. Corey Webster was waived by the New Orleans Pelicans on Friday (NZT), flying back to re-join the NZ Breakers in the Aussie NBL. It didn’t end in an NBA contract but he definitely went further than most people expected him to when he first flew over and he’ll return a vastly improved player with an international reputation. Shout out to Corey Webster on making it real.

What happened is that while we initially looked at the Norris Cole injury as an opportunity for Corey, it ended up being the worst thing possible. It left them with only Tyreke Evans and Jrue Holiday (on a minutes limit) as fit point guards and they weren’t ready to give Webster those reins when he’d not played 10 mins in any of his three pre-season games. Instead he was waived and the Pellies brought in former University of New Orleans star guard Bo McCalebb, who has made a career for himself in Europe after going undrafted in 2008, considered too small to play NBA. That’s obviously not a concern for the Pelicans because on the same day they also announced a 1 year deal with former Bull & Nugget PG Nate Robinson. In order to make room for him, centres Jerome Jordan and Mirza Begic were both waived. Each had only been at the club a week as cover for the injured Omer Asik and Alexis Ajinca.

Webster departs having averaged 1.3 points and 2.0 assists in his three pre-season games.

And of course, he leaves with an enormous impression left upon this franchise. Because Corey Webster won the team skeet shooting day the other week, despite by his own admission never having shot a gun in his life.

Postscript

Of the guys Webster was competing with, Sean Kilpatrick has gone on to become a valued member of the Brooklyn Nets (cheers to Sean Marks), playing 70 games and averaging 13 points. Norris Cole stayed with the Pelicans for that season but was released after that, most recently sighted as a mid-season pick-up for Steven Adams' OKC Thunder. Chris Douglas-Roberts and Jeff Adrien haven't been back in the NBA, the former slugging away in the D-League and the latter left for Europe. Bob McCalebb played four preseason games and was waived. He has never appeared in an NBA game. As for Bryce Dejean-Jones, his was a tragic tale. Shot dead in Dallas back in 2016. Only 23 years old. BDJ didn't make the team while Webster was there but he signed a 10-day contract later in the season and went on to earn a three year deal, but was out with injury when he was killed. Terrible stuff.

And for the Pelicans, it ain't been pretty. That first round sweep against the Golden State Warriors in the 2015 playoffs were supposed to be the start of something but they only won 30 games in Alvin Gentry's first season and barely improved with 34 the next. Although they did get busy with a huge trade for DeMarcus 'Boogie' Cousins after the All Star Break. Chuck him next to Anthony Davis and we'll see how things go in the future. If only they'd signed Corey Webster when they had the chance...

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