Cameron Webster knew coming into the Indiana All-Star series that his role would be whatever he could make of it. As the backup point guard behind IndyStar Mr. Basketball Luke Ertel, Webster realized playing time could be scarce.
So, the smallest player on the All-Stars roster took it upon himself to be the biggest pest he could possibly be. After coming up with two steals and two rebounds in the 106-83 win in Lexington, Ky., on Friday night, he turned up the heat in his 11 minutes, 42 seconds off the bench on Saturday at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.
The result: A couple of quick-as-lightning moves on offense that drew a few “oohs” and “ahhs” from the crowd and better than Velcro on-the-ball defense.
“It meant everything to me,” Webster said of taking the court as an Indiana All-Star. “A year ago today, I would have never thought I’d be in this position. All thanks to God. It’s a testament to the work I put in.”
Webster finished with six points, two rebounds and one assist, connecting on 2-for-4 from the field and 2-for-2 from the free-throw line. He shared the court at times with Ertel, who played off the ball occasionally on offense during Saturday’s game.
But for Webster, the numbers truly did not matter. What did matter: Playing hard. Playing well. And representing his school, family and teammates. Unlike many of the Division I recruits on the team who left for college as early as Sunday, Webster will not move to school at Trevecca Nazarene in Nashville, Tenn., until August. This week will always be special to Webster.
“It’s been one of the best weeks of my life getting to playing with high-level guys all week, getting to know them and joke around,” he said. “Just getting to know everybody’s different backgrounds and personalities has been great. I just went out there and tried to make my impact felt, whether it’s defense or scoring when I got the two baskets, or the assist to Dane (Caldwell). Whatever it is to win the game, that’s what I’m trying to do.”
It was easy to see the chemistry the Indiana All-Stars had during the week. It was a group that genuinely liked playing with each other, which alleviated any issues for coach Todd Woelfle. A big reason for that is attitude of players like Webster who understand their role.
“Our chemistry through these four days, it’s like we’ve been playing together for a long time,” Webster said. “I will really think of these guys like my brothers forever. It was really fun.”
Credit to Webster on taking his role and running with it. Here are 10 players who impressed me during All-Star week:
Luke Ertel, Mt. Vernon: Mr. Basketball did not shoot it well all week. When he finally did knock down a 3-pointer late during the Indiana All-Stars’ run on Saturday, you could sense the relief in his reaction. Ertel was just 3-for-22 from the 3-point line in the three games during the week. I’ve seen him enough to not believe those numbers mean anything. He was still the floor leader in all three games, playing his best game on Saturday with 21 points (7-for-16 overall), eight assists and eight rebounds. Ertel had eight points, 10 assists, five rebounds and three steals in Kentucky.
Jake Feldhaus, Madison Central (Ky.): The 6-8 South Florida commit was on the other side of the Indiana-Kentucky series, but impressive nonetheless. He had 23 points and 10 rebounds in the game in Lexington and went for 25 points and 16 rebounds in the return game. Really athletic and strong finisher. The son of Deron Feldhaus of the 1992 Kentucky “Unforgettables” team was 17-for-27 from the field, including 4-for-5 from the 3-point line.
Brennan Miller, Lawrence North: The 6-7 Miller, a Southern Illinois-Edwardsville commit, was all over the place in the win in Lexington, coming off the bench to finish with 20 points, 12 rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots. He backed that up with 14 points and eight rebounds in the Saturday game. Miller should be an impact player for SIU-Edwardsville.
Baron Walker, Noblesville: Great performance from the Butler recruit, who did not have a huge role last year for the Junior All-Stars. Walker made a huge difference early in the second half in a tight game at Kentucky, finishing with 17 points on just five shots from the field (he made all five) in just 16 minutes. He had another good game at Gainbridge, finishing with 18 points and seven rebounds in about 30 minutes.
Dikembe Shaw, Crown Point: You don’t have to squint to see how the 6-7 Shaw will be a big-time player at Illinois-Chicago. He led the All-Stars with 24 points in the win at Kentucky, shooting 6-for-7 from the field and 8-for-11 from the free-throw line despite foul trouble. Shaw also started fast against the Junior All-Stars, finishing with 18 points, and added nine points and six rebounds in the finale at Gainbridge.
Noah Smith, Plainfield: The 6-8 Smith, a DePaul commit, went for 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win at Kentucky and put up 13 points and eight rebounds in the win over the Juniors, then added nine points and five rebounds at Gainbridge. Smith was 14-for-19 from the field for the week. He is always so efficient.
Dane Caldwell, Silver Creek: The 6-9 Richmond commit was at his best in the final game of the week against the Kentucky All-Stars, making a couple of strong moves to the basket to finish with nine points. I really like the upside of Caldwell as he matures as a college player. He also had a nice game against the Juniors, finishing with 10 points and three rebounds.
Jason Gardner Jr., Fishers: The junior guard gave the seniors all they could handle in the game at Mt. Vernon, finishing with 21 points, including 2-for-3 from the 3-point line. He also had eight assists and four rebounds. He put up 30 points and dished six assists in the win at Charlestown last Sunday against the Kentucky Junior All-Stars.
Cooper Zachary, Fishers: Zachary had 11 points, five assists and four rebounds in the win at Kentucky against the Junior All-Stars, then went for 17 points and four rebounds in the 105-100 loss at Mt. Vernon against the Indiana All-Stars. He was 8-for-23 from the 3-point line.
Mari Leggett, Blackford: He did not have the biggest numbers in the Futures Game (he finished with 13 points, four rebounds and two assists) but clearly the 6-5 Leggett has made big strides in his game. Leggett averaged 26.3 points and 4.3 assists as a sophomore for Blackford and is already over 1,000 career points.
Call Star reporter Kyle Neddenriep at (317) 444-6649.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: ‘It meant everything.’ Cam Webster on being Indiana All-Star and 10 impressive players
Reporting by Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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By Kyle Neddenriep, Indianapolis Star | USA TODAY Network
