FRA - Beaubois ready to answer France call

DALLAS (2010 FIBA World Championship for Men) - There is a French guard plying his trade in Texas who is getting rave reviews for his great play of late - and his name is not Tony Parker.

Rodrigue Beaubois of the Dallas Mavericks has had a rollercoaster-like rookie season, but right now he is very much enjoying the view from the top.

Through four games so far in March, he is averaging 18.5 points, 3.5 assists and 3.5 rebounds in about 27 minutes per contest. More importantly, he has played a leading role in helping the Mavericks extend their current winning streak to 12 games.

Beaubois' string of solid performances have resulted in him getting a lot of attention from the French Basketball Federation, who are keen to make him a part of the team that will compete at the FIBA World Championship in Turkey this summer.

"I got a call a few days ago and they (the French Federation) talked about coming here to talk about it," Beaubois told the Dallas Star Telegram late on Monday.

"We'll see when they come. Until then I just try to focus on the season. If they come, we'll talk and I will think about it.

"For sure it would be an honour to represent my country," he added.

Beaubois has scored in double-figures in all four of the games he has played in so far this month.

He matched a then season-best 17 points in a 112-109 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on 3rd March.

Two days later, he broke out for 22 points in just under 25 minutes as the Mavericks saw off the Sacramento Kings 108-100.

The following night, he went one better with 24 points, five assists and five rebounds in a 122-116 win at Chicago.

It's fair to say that the 22-year-old has had his fair share of ups and downs in his first NBA campaign.

He was inserted in the starting backcourt alongside Jason Kidd in just the fifth game of the season and went on to start another 12 out of the next 15 contests.

Between the early part of December and last week, Beaubois' playing time had fluctuated greatly to the point that he had failed to feature at all in 25 games.

But right now the 6ft guard is doing a great job of filling the void created by the absence of Jason Terry, who is sidelined after suffering facial injuries and expected to return in the next 10 days.

Beaubois was discovered by French national team player and fellow Guadeloupe native Mickael Pietrus at an open basketball camp held on the Caribbean archipelago.

He made his professional debut in 2006-07 with French side Cholet and helped them reach last year's EuroChallenge final where they came agonisingly close, only to lose to Virtus Bologna 77-75.

After three seasons in the French top flight, Beaubois entered the 2009 NBA draft and was selected with the 25th pick by the Oklahoma City Thunder. His rights were then traded to the Mavericks.

FIBA