PARIS (Eurocup/FIBA Basketball World Cup) - Sergii Gladyr served as a deadly marksman at EuroBasket 2013 for Ukraine, helping lead the country to its greatest moment in international hoops.

The 1.96m shooting guard averaged 12 points per game in Slovenia, second on the team to Pooh Jeter, as his national side clinched a top-six finish and qualified for the 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup.

In all but one game, the Mykolayiv native hit at least one three-pointer and in six of the team's 11 games, he drilled at least a couple.

The performances caught the eye of French champions Nanterre, who were in need of some firepower on the perimeter with a first-ever season in the Turkish Airlines Euroleague coming up in 2013-14.

Nanterre signed Gladyr and he played five games in the Euroleague before going down with a knee injury that sidelined him for several weeks.

His absence hurt as Nanterre won just one of their next five games in Europe and failed to progress, but now he's healthy again and has made an immediate impact for the club on his return in the Eurocup Last 32.

In Tuesday night's 88-84 win over Italian powerhouse Cantu in Paris, Gladyr played almost 32 minutes and scored 30 points, making seven of 11 shots from beyond the arc and nine of 11 free-throws.

"Gladyr's performance lends legitimacy about what I was saying when I talked about the weight of his absence in the Euroleague," said Nanterre coach Pascal Donnadieu after the game.

"Tonight, he was the guy who was making baskets when the team wasn't doing well."

Nanterre are clearly a more dangerous team with Gladyr healthy.

He will be looking to have a strong rest of the season for Nanterre both in the Eurocup and in France's top flight before he returns his attention to Ukraine and their 2014 FIBA Basketball World Cup campaign.

Gladyr will be keeping an eye on events in Barcelona on 3 February, when the draw for the World Cup is held and Ukraine discover who their Preliminary Round opponents are going to be.

FIBA