Basketball: Corey Webster heading to New Orleans

Corey Webster is heading to New Orleans for a week-long trial. Photo / Getty

New Zealand Breakers star shooting guard Corey Webster is off to New Orleans.

As first reported by the Herald, the New Orleans Pelicans are the team Webster is joining for a week-long trial.

Webster has been invited to work out with available players and coaching staff at the New Orleans Pelicans and while nothing more than that at the moment, it is a foot in the door that Webster wants to make the most of.

"This sprung up pretty quick, the coaching staff at New Orleans have invited me to do some workouts for a couple of days or maybe a week. This is a chance to impress in that time and chase an invite to join the Pelicans training camp in October.

"My agent has been communicating with them (New Orleans) and says it is based on my form over the past couple of months since coming back from Europe, in particular up against NBA calibre players such as Patty Mills and Matthew Dellavedova. I guess they were watching and I have done enough for this invite, I have to work hard and show them I am worthy of the next step and get an invite to stay for longer," said Webster.

The Breakers are not standing in Webster's way, letting him chase his dream as he tries to first snag a training camp invite and then a roster spot in the NBA.

"This is a great opportunity for Corey and one we wish him all the best with. This club offers a way into fulltime professional basketball and gives young players something to aspire to, a pathway into a fulltime career. But often that means we are just one step on the pathway," said Breakers head coach Dean Vickerman.

After starring overseas for the Tall Blacks and in Game One of the Tall Blacks' series against the Australian Boomers, Webster caught the eye of many suitors, especially the Pelicans - who have a need for perimeter shooting and are trialling many options.

"I think those games against Aussie were huge for me, those guys have proved themselves in the NBA and I competed well against them. It was a little bit of a tryout going against those guys, with scouts, agents and NBA teams watching you have to perform in those moments. That is the way I was looking at it too, knowing if I could perform someone was going to see it, they are established and have played in finals, Patty has won a championship, so that was huge for me," said Webster.

Webster's mix of elite perimeter and mid-range shooting means he can light up sides and rack up points quickly, while his defence and ball-handling skills have improved of late as his all-round game improves - qualities which will be essential to stand out in the incredibly tough NBA environment.

He averaged 15.3 points per game with the Breakers last season, shooting a blistering 42% from deep.

The Breakers will have to fend without him for their first pre-season games against the Sydney Kings, and how well Webster fares in New Orleans could determine whether he'll be away from New Zealand for even longer.