Highly ranked Puerto Rican setter commits to George Mason

A former member of the Puerto Rico Youth National Team has committed to play for George Mason starting in 2015.

George Mason coach Fred Chao announced Monday that high school senior Brian Negron has signed a national letter of intent with the Patriots.

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Negron, a 6-foot-7 setter from San Juan, Puerto Rico, was the back-up setter for Puerto Rico at the 2012 NORCECA U-19 Men’s Continental Championships. Despite having limited time on the court, Negron ended the international tournament in the top 10 for assists per game average and helped lead Puerto Rico to a fourth-place finish.

“We are very excited for Brian to join the Mason volleyball family,” Chao said in a statement. “He is the top prospect coming from Puerto Rico. At 6-foot-7 he will be one of the biggest setters in the country. … Brian is also an accomplished student and a person of character.”

Along with his international experience, Negron in club volleyball earned back-to-back championships and most valuable player honors at Puerto Rico’s La Copa Primera Hora national tournament. In addition, Negron has been an all-conference selection every season with his high school team, which is a combined 169-10 since he joined the team as an eighth grader.

George Mason finished last season in second place in the EIVA and qualified for the four-team EIVA Tournament.

The Patriots are the second EIVA team during the early signing period to announce an official commitment from a high school recruit. Penn State announced in November that it signed former U.S. Boys’ Youth National Team outside attacker Lee Smith.