Former North Dakota forward Deng Mayar, seen here in a game in Iowa City in 2023, died on Saturday in a drowning incident in Utah. He was 22. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
(Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
University of Nebraska Omaha forward Deng Mayar died on Saturday night after an incident in Utah, the program confirmed.
He was 22.
Mayar transferred into Omaha this summer after spending the past two seasons at North Dakota. According to the Omaha World-Herald, Mayar drowned after an incident in the Blackridge Reservoir near Herriman, Utah, on Saturday.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” Omaha 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.”
According to ABC 4 in Utah, which the World-Herald reports identified via his father’s last name, Mayar was seen alongside another man struggling in the water at the reservoir. The second man eventually made it to shore and was taken to a local hospital, where he’s expected to recover. Mayar’s body was eventually recovered on Saturday night. Further specifics of the incident are not yet known.
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Mayar, who grew up in the Salt Lake City area, averaged 6.3 points and four rebounds per game last season at North Dakota. He transferred into Omaha this summer as a graduate student.
“Our hearts are broken to hear the tragic news of Deng’s passing,” North Dakota head coach Paul 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.”
