A familiar Husker trio is back on the international stage this weekend as FIBA World Cup Asian qualifiers get underway, with games spread across Friday and Monday.
Tai Webster, Jack McVeigh and Keisei Tominaga are all set for national team duty. Webster will suit up for New Zealand, McVeigh for Australia and Tominaga for Japan.
Friday’s schedule opens with New Zealand hosting the Philippines in Auckland at 2 a.m. (CT).
Australia follows against Guam in Perth at 5:30 a.m. (CT), and Japan closes the day with a trip to China for a 6:30 a.m.
(CT) tip in Shenyang.
The second round of games comes Monday, when New Zealand hosts Guam at 2 a.m. (CT).
Australia then welcomes the Philippines at 5:30 a.m., while Japan travels to Korea for another 5:30 a.m. (CT) start.
Webster’s return is the most notable of the group from a Huskers perspective. The 6-foot-3 guard is making his first appearance for New Zealand since the 2019 FIBA World Cup, and it marks his first national team action in seven years. Since wrapping up his Nebraska career in 2017, he has played professionally, most recently in New Zealand.
At Nebraska, Webster was a three-year starter and finished with 1,116 career points. He earned All-Big honors as a senior after putting up 17.0 points, 5.1 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game.
On the international stage, he has already built a long résumé, playing for New Zealand from 2012 to 2019 and appearing in the 2014 and 2019 FIBA World Cups. During the 2019 tournament, he averaged 13.4 points, 4.8 assists and 4.2 rebounds per game.
McVeigh and Tominaga have both been major pieces for their countries in recent international competitions.
McVeigh averaged 13.5 ppg at the 2025 Asian Cup and earned a spot in the All-Start 5 while helping Australia win the title. He played in the NBL in Australia and in Puerto Rico in 2025-26, was a second-team All-NBL selection this past season and spent 2024-25 with the Houston Rockets and the Rio Grande Valley Vipers of the G League after helping Australia reach the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympics.
Tominaga has been with Japan’s Senior National Team since 2022 and has already delivered on the big stage. He played in the 2023 FIBA World Cup, where he averaged 11.4 points per game and helped Japan qualify for the Paris Olympics.
At the 2025 Asian Cup, he averaged 16.8 ppg and 3.5 rpg. This past season with Levanga Hokkaido in Japan’s B1 League, he led Japanese players with 19.5 points per game and was named the regular season’s Most Impressive Player (MIP).
In Other News...
ESPN Just Confirmed Nebraskas Worst Fear About That Oregon Trip
A future trip to Eugene already looked like a tough sell for Nebraska, and ESPNs latest survey only sharpened that concern. Eli Lederman and Max Olson polled more than 20 front-office staff members to identify the top returning defenders in college football for 2026, and Oregon came away with two names near the top of the list in defensive tackle A'Mauri Washington and defensive back Brandon Finney Jr.
For the Cornhuskers, the timing matters as much as the talent. Washington brings the kind of disruptive force that can wreck a game plan from the interior, while Finney has earned national respect for his coverage work and ability to challenge targets. With both expected to anchor an already imposing Oregon defense, Nebraskas 2026 matchup in Eugene looks even less forgiving than it did before the rankings were released. [Read more 🡒]
Nebraska Is Suddenly In The Mix For A Massive Future Lineman
Nebraskas recruiting board for the future got a little more interesting over the weekend, when the Huskers extended an offer to 2028 offensive line prospect Jamaree Turner after he made the trip to Lincoln for Friday Night Lights. Turner, a four-star recruit with a growing national profile, already has a list of major programs involved, but Nebraska clearly made an impression during the camp setting that often gives coaches a chance to separate themselves early.
Turner came away speaking highly of the staff, especially offensive line coach Geep Wade, and that matters in a recruitment where relationships can carry as much weight as rankings. There is still a long way to go before anything becomes final, and the window for Nebraska to keep building on this early momentum will be measured in years rather than months, but landing in the mix this soon is a notable start for the Huskers. [Read more 🡒]
Why Archie Wilson And Jack Wills Matter So Much For Nebraska
Special teams has become a real point of emphasis for Nebraska heading into 2026, and the attention starts with punter Archie Wilson and long snapper Jack Wills. Wilson finished his first season with a 39.4-yard average and did a good job limiting returns, while Wills arrives after playing all 12 games at Michigan State and is expected to bring more stability to a spot that can quietly swing field position all season long.
The Huskers know there is room to climb in net punting, and that makes the pairing even more important as they try to tighten every part of the operation. New special teams coordinator Brett Maher has already talked about Wilsons unusual style and the challenge of giving him freedom while still keeping a dependable option in place, and Nebraska has also added freshman Kyson Gana to compete at long snapper as the group takes shape for the seasons ahead. [Read more 🡒]
