University of Nebraska basketball star Deng Mayar tragically died Saturday in a shocking drowning incident. He was 22.
The Omaha forward got into trouble while he was swimming with a friend at the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, on Saturday just before 6 p.m., Fox 13 reported.
Sa Mafutaga, 21, Mayar’s friend who was with him in the reservoir at the time, was able to reach the shore but then realized his friend was still in the water.
Deng Mayar was killed in Utah Saturday just before 6 p.m. Omaha Menâs BasketballHe went back in to help, but couldn’t reach his friend, and was pulled to safety himself by Unified Fire Authority.
After hours of searching, Mayar’s body was found by the Utah Highway Patrol’s submersible robot at 10:40 p.m. His body was recovered by divers at 11:00 p.m., KETV reports.
“It was scary. 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,” witness Hudsyn Sandoval, who lives nearby, told Fox 13.
Mayar was swimming with a friend at the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City. FOX 13 KSTUMayar, who had transferred to Omaha from the North Dakota Fighting Hawks this summer, was raised in Salt Lake City.
He was previously a member of the Howard Junior College men’s basketball team.
Mayar transferred to Nebraska from North Dakota this summer. Icon Sportswire via Getty Images“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 men’s basketball coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement, as reported by ESPN.
“He 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,” he said.
Deng Mayar tragically drowned while swimming in a reservoir with his friend. Facebook / Deng MayarMayar, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds for the Fighting Hawks last season and finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in his final game, a 92-79 win over South Dakota.
His former coach at North Dakota, Paul Sather, said his team’s “hearts are broken” after learning of Mayar’s tragic death.
College basketball star Deng Mayar average 6.3 points per a game. Facebook / Deng Mayar“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,” Sather said in a statement.
Counseling services are being offered to any students who want them this week, the Fighting Hawks announced.
