University of Nebraska at Omaha men’s basketball player Deng Mayar has died, the school has announced. He was 22 years old.
According to the Associated Press, Mayar drowned Saturday in an Utah reservoir. Herriman police responded to a 911 call about Mayar and Sa Mafutaga, 21, who were in distress, the AP reports.
Mafutaga made it to shore and went back to try to rescue Mayar, but he was unable to. Mafutaga is expected to recover.
Deng Mayar was entering his first season at Omaha after transferring in from North Dakota this past offseason.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing. After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer,” Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement. “Deng was a joy to be around and made our culture better. We will miss him greatly.
“Jodi and I, along with our entire program, send our hearts and prayers to Deng’s family, friends and teammates.”
Mayar appeared in 42 games and made 15 starts over the past two seasons at North Dakota. He played 20.2 minutes per game last season, averaging 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.
“We are devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” Omaha Chancellor Joanne Li and Athletics Director Adrian Dowell said in a joint statement. “On behalf of our university community, our love and sincere condolences are with his family during this difficult time.
“We also wish his friends and teammates in Omaha, North Dakota, and Salt Lake City family, peace as they process this tragic loss.”
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