×
20 November, 2017
26 February, 2019
Sergii Gladyr (UKR)
31/10/2017
News
to read

Gladyr: 'We have to protect our home, especially in front of our crowd'

KIEV (FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers) - Sergii Gladyr can hardly wait for the start of the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2019 European Qualifiers.

Once again, he'll put on the Ukraine shirt and this time, he'll get a chance to do so in front of his family, friends and compatriots.

The AS Monaco Basket star, who had a knee operation this summer and missed Ukraine's FIBA EuroBasket 2017 campaign, spoke to FIBA.basketball.

What's your thinking right now? Are you going to play for Ukraine in November?
I promised the coach if I'm healthy, I'll come. I want to come. I want to play for my country. The only question is if I'm healthy and if I'm in good condition to play.

Monaco's Gladyr played at the first Basketball Champions League Final Four

What is it about the national team that makes you want to play for it?
I want to play for Ukraine to put it on the basketball map, to help my country be at the top of European basketball. To be there, to fight with the best players in the world, of Europe, to try to get as high as possible as we did at EuroBasket 2013, try to get to the FIBA Basketball World Cup, try to get to the Olympic Games. Who knows? Russia had a great team in 2012. They had a solid team and made third place in the Olympic Games. Why can't Ukraine do that?

"I WANT TO PLAY FOR UKRAINE TO PUT IT ON THE BASKETBALL MAP, TO HELP MY COUNTRY BE AT THE TOP OF EUROPEAN BASKETBALL." GladyrGladyr

You do have some talent in that Ukraine team.
Yes, and that's basketball. Everything can happen. Nobody thought in 2013 that we'd finish sixth in the FIBA EuroBasket and we qualified for the World Cup. That's already a success. When I was a part of that success, I wanted to continue to be a part of these types of moments when you're proud of your teammates, of being Ukrainian and you're making Ukrainian basketball history, putting the country on the map of European basketball.


Despite being without Gladyr, Ukraine reached the Round of 16 at FIBA EuroBasket 2017

Is it a pride that you can only feel when you play for Ukraine, that type of experience?
Yes I think so. To play for your country is special. You don't play for money, you play for these types of moments.

So now you are going to face Sweden (November 24) on the road and you'll be at home against Turkey (November 26). Which of those games are you looking forward to the most?
Both of them. We have to win. If we want to advance to the Second Round of the Qualification, we need to win away, try to get that win. Sweden is a pretty good team, they have good shooters. They play solid basketball. I saw one of their games last year, they played against Bosnia (and Herzegovina), they played a solid game. We have to try and get that win. Then we come back, it doesn't matter who plays for Turkey, we have to protect our home, especially in front of our crowd. We haven't played in front of them for a long time.

FIBA