University of Nebraska Omaha basketball player Deng Mayar has died in a drowning incident. He was 22 years old.
According to reports, Mayar was swimming in the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Utah around 5:45 p.m. on Saturday, August 16, when he began to struggle.
Herriman City Police said the basketball player’s friend, 21-year-old Sa Mafutaga, was swimming with him and managed to make it to shore. When he saw Mayar was in trouble, he attempted a rescue but could not make it to him.
Mafutaga was pulled from the water by individuals at the Reservoir. He was treated on scene by first responders before being taken to the hospital, where he is expected to recover.
“It was scary,” an eyewitness told Fox 13 in Salt Lake City. “We saw the police running past us with a stretcher, and there was a person on there who was really pale and wasn’t moving.”
Mayar’s body was eventually located by a submersible robot about 35 yards from shore at approximately 10:40 p.m.. He was pronounced dead at the scene.
The basketball player grew up in Salt Lake City and, according to Fox 13, his family made it to the Reservoir during the search for his body.
Blackridge Reservoir remains closed for the time being as the Herriman Police Department investigates the incident.
Deng transferred to the University of Nebraska Omaha this past offseason after spending the past two seasons at the University of North Dakota.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” University of Nebraska Omaha men’s basketball head coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement. “After competing against him for two years, we were elated to add him to our team and he made tremendous progress this summer. 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 was also remembered by Paul Sather, his former head coach at North Dakota.
“Our hearts are broken to hear the tragic news of Deng’s passing,” Sather said in a statement. “He was a wonderful person with a heart the size of a gym. Our thoughts are with his parents and family, along with all his teammates from UND and UNO. As competitive as he was on the court, he had a gentle nature and kind soul off the court. Deng will be greatly missed by all of those that knew and loved him.”
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