Tchouaffe, Diawara eying the triple crown for France

CHEMNITZ (FIBA U20 European Championship 2018) – History beckons for the 1998-born French generation, as Les Bleuets could become just the third team to complete the triple crown in FIBA youth competitions.

After claiming gold at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014 and winning it all at the FIBA U18 European Championship 2016, the only missing piece of the collection now is the FIBA U20 European Championship crown.

The only teams to have ever done it? The golden 1992-born Lithuanian generation featuring Jonas Valanciunas and Edgaras Ulanovas, as well as Milos Teodosic and his 1987-born crew as Serbia and Montenegro and, later, Serbia.

Bathiste Tchouaffe lifting the FIBA U18 European Championship trophy in 2016

That will be no easy feat to pull off for the Bathiste Tchouaffe-captained France, who are still just getting used to life without two former MVPs in Killian Tillie and Frank Ntilikina, while the younger rising star Sekou Doumbouya also isn't with the team in Chemnitz.

"It's the last competition for us, the 1998-born guys, and we want to finish well," Tchouaffe told FIBA.basketball. "Maybe we don't have some of the top players, but we still have a good team. That means we can still do some great things, especially as we don't have as much pressure on us."

Having been selected on the All-Star Five at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014 in Latvia, Tchouaffe is the most high-profile player on the roster left for France and he has put an emphasis on leading by example.

The 1998-born French generation began their journey at the FIBA U16 European Championship 2014 in Latvia

"My role is a big one. I'm the captain of the team. And I need to lead the team in the right way," said the shooting guard, who has averaged a team-high 12.7 points and 4.0 rebounds per game through the Group Phase. "On the court, I just have to be myself, make some threes and create some spacing for my teammates."

Tchouaffe is also one of four original band members who have medaled in both previous tournaments and could add the third title this summer at the FIBA U20 European Championship, with Digue Diawara, Abdoulaye N'Doye and Jules Rambaut being the other three.

"We know each other well. We know how we want to play; I know how Bathiste plays, I know how Abdoulaye plays. And they know my game," explained Diawara, who has stepped into a much larger role in light of the absences.

Les Trois Mousquetaires: Digue Diawara, Abdoulaye N'Doye and Bathiste Tchouaffe

"It's a good feeling. We have already won twice and we still want to make it three. We know it's going to be hard, because everyone has made progress. We know that we don't have Frank [Ntilikina], Sekou [Doumbouya], so our game is a bit different now. People still expect us to be good, though."

After beginning the FIBA U20 European Championship 2018 with defeats against Croatia and Spain, France finished the Group Phase with a 66-63 win against Ukraine that catapulted them into second place in the standings with a 1-2 record.

"We had a tough start, so it was important to win. The important games are coming, so it was good for us and our confidence, to get into our rhythm," a relieved Diawara breathed a sigh of relief after the Ukraine game.

Digue Diawara is enjoying his best tournament to date, averaging 11.7 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game

"I think we can do it again. We're here to play for this, to play the Final and hopefully win it all again."

The 1998-born French generation had been undefeated at the U16 and U18 level, going a perfect 15-0 before arriving to Chemnitz. Although their aura of invincibility may no longer be there, France are clearly still among a handful of teams capable of winning it all in the tournament.

Four games separate France from clinching the triple crown, with a matchup against Montenegro getting the knock-out stage underway on Wednesday.

FIBA