oey Rodriguez, Lake Howell's dynamic 5-foot-10 junior point guard, orally has committed to Massachusetts, where he'll play for a former college standout he can look in the eye.

Obviously, that's not the No. 1 reason Rodriguez picked the Minutemen, but it helps that UMass Coach Travis Ford has no doubt that a little guy can get it done. Ford was an All-Southeastern Conference point guard at Kentucky in the early 1990s.

"He's shorter than me, but he really doesn't care about height, which was pretty cool," Rodriguez said Wednesday. "He said he liked how I controlled the floor and was a leader. The situation is perfect for me to play right away, and the program is coming up."

Rodriguez watched UMass hammer Temple 60-34 Saturday, then accepted a scholarship offer during a three-hour conversation with Ford on Sunday.

Going to the Atlantic 10 Conference means Rodriguez will run into former Silver Hawks teammate Pat Calathes, who plays for Saint Joseph's. Rodriguez said Massachusetts has lined up a game against UF in 2007-08, which would mean a reunion with high-school classmate Nick Calathes, who has committed to the Gators.

niversity of Massachusetts men's basketball coach Travis Ford's summer just got busier.

Joey Rodriguez, a 5-foot-11 point guard from Winter Park, Fla. who verbally committed to UMass last year told Rivals.com he was withdrawing that commitment in hopes of staying closer to home.

Rodriguez, who'll be a senior in high school in the fall, is now looking at several schools including Florida State and Miami.

Rodriguez gave the Minutemen depth at point guard with Chris Lowe and Tiki Mayben, who'll be a sophomore and freshman, respectively, both early in their careers.

Rodriguez's mind change leaves Ford with three scholarships to offer.

Marcus Matthews, a 6-foot-3, combination guard from New York has already given UMass a verbal commitment.