David Ranier Webber (born April 5, 1980) is an American former basketball player. He played college basketball for Central Michigan of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) from 1998 to 2002. Webber played the point guard position and was the 2001 Mid-American Conference Men's Basketball Player of the Year. He was a first team All-MAC player in 2001 and an honorable mention All-MAC player in 2000 and 2002. Webber holds Central Michigan's all-time records for single-game free throws and home arena single-game points.
In high school, Webber won three Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA) championships for Detroit Country Day School. He had a brief two-year professional career in the United States Basketball League and Continental Basketball Association. He is the youngest brother of Hall of Famer Chris Webber.
Early life
Webber is the son of Mayce Webber, Jr. and Doris Webber. Doris, a teacher, and Mayce, a General Motors employee, had provided for and forced their children to attend the private academy Detroit Country Day School rather than Southwestern High School like other kids in the neighborhood. At Detroit Country Day, Webber was teammates with his brother Jason as a 1994–95 freshman while his brother was a senior. He performed the role of sixth man as a freshman before becoming a three-year starter. His 1996–97 junior season teammates included Shane Battier, who was a class ahead of him and classmates Javin Hunter and Mike Manciel. That team was the two-time MHSAA Class B defending champion and had climbed into the top 10 in the USA Today national poll prior to an injury to Battier and two subsequent losses. The team lost a third game without Battier and another starter to the Sergio McClain-led Illinois High School Association state champion Manual High School. The team healed up and repeated as Class B state champion, finishing the season with a 25–3 record. He described the pressure of being Chris' younger brother as having a severe impact on his mental state: “I can remember being in my house after another bad game during my junior year in high school, when I told God not to wake me up in the morning,” David said. “I was praying all night, for hours, saying, ‘God, please don’t wake me up.’ “I felt a lot of pressure and I didn’t feel like I could take it anymore.”
Webber was only the third leading returning scorer (10.1 points per game) for the team that the USA Today described as "Favorite for fourth consecutive Class B title" when ranking them 15th in the preseason. However, he often played a leading role during his senior season. In fact, he averaged 20 points over the first six games before focusing more on his role as the floor general because he felt the team had more success with him scoring less. He averaged 14 points over the course of the season and led the team in assists and blocked shots. Following the season, he earned Class B Second Team All-State recognition from The Detroit News and an All-USA Basketball Honorable Mention by USA Today. As of March 26, 1998, Webber was being recruited by Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Boston College, Virginia and Maryland. On April 15, the Detroit News reported that he signed his National Letter of Intent with Central Michigan, who had already signed the team's leading scorer, Manciel.
College career
Webber joined the 1998–99 CMU team the same season his brother, Jason, transferred there from Michigan State. Jason had redshirted for the 1995–96 Michigan State Spartans and played for the 1996–97 team. At Central Michigan, Webber and his brother Jason were coached by Jay Smith, who had been on the coaching staff for the Michigan Wolverines men's basketball teams that their oldest brother, Chris, played on. Manciel, who had played with him at Detroit Country Day, matriculated to CMU with David.
Webber holds the Central Michigan record for McGuirk Arena single-game points (51 vs. Ball State February 24, 2000), breaking the previous arena record set on December 5, 1977 by Larry Bird (45 points), which remained the visiting player record as of the March 2020 update of the Central Michigan Record Book. Webber's 51-point performance was the sixth-highest single-game point total in MAC history at the time. It was also the second-highest point total (highest in regulation) of the 1999–2000 NCAA Division I men's basketball season, trailing only 61 by Eddie House in double-overtime for against .