4 weeks ago
26
Deng Mayar, a 22-year-old forward who was set to play his third season of Division I college basketball this fall, has died after a horrific drowning incident at a reservoir in Utah.
According to reports, Mayar was with a friend at the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Utah - located just south of Salt Lake City.
Mayar and his friend began struggling in the water. The friend initially reached shore, but went back into the water to help the college basketball star.
After continuing to struggle, Mayar went underwater and did not come back up. Search and rescue crews recovered his body late on Saturday night.
The friend was taken to a local hospital and is expected to recover.
Mayar spent last season with the University of North Dakota and announced this offseason that he was transferring to the University of Nebraska at Omaha.
Deng Mayar, who played at North Dakota and transferred to Omaha this past offseason, died in a drowning accident at a reservoir in Utah on Saturday at the age of 22
'Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng's passing,' Omaha men's basketball 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.
'[Mayar] 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.'
With the Fighting Hawks last season, Mayar averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds per game on a 48 percent shooting line. He played in 29 games in the 2024-25 season and averaged 20.2 minutes per game.
In his final game for North Dakota, Mayar logged seven points and three assists while shooting 3-for-5 in an 85-69 loss to St. Thomas (MN) in the Summit League conference tournament semifinals.
MORE TO FOLLOW.
