The University of Nebraska Omaha has paid tribute to its men’s basketball team player Deng Mayar after he drowned in a reservoir on Saturday. Mayar was 22.
Per NBC News, the fatal incident occurred at the Blackridge Reservoir in Salt Lake City. In a statement on Sunday, the Herriman City police said they received 911 calls on Saturday concerning two individuals at the reservoir who were “in distress.”
Police said that one of the individuals, Sa Mafutaga, managed to swim back to the shore. Mayar, however, remained in distress and in the water. Mafutaga returned to the water in an attempt to rescue Mayar, but his efforts proved futile, police said.
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Mayar’s body was located in the water after authorities used a submersible to look for him, and a dive team eventually retrieved him from the reservoir. Mafutaga received medical attention at a hospital, and he is expected to pull through.
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In a statement, the University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) and Omaha Athletics said that Mayar joined the “Mavericks this past offseason after two years at fellow Summit League institution North Dakota.”
The deceased 6-foot-7 forward was a business administration student. While at the University of North Dakota, Mayar featured in 42 games and had 15 starts in two seasons.
“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. 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,” Omaha men’s basketball head coach Chris Crutchfield said in a statement.
The University of North Dakota in a statement also commiserated with Mayar’s family and friends. Coach Paul Sather said Mayar was a “wonderful person with a heart the size of a gym,” NBC News reported.
“As competitive as he was on the court, he had a gentle nature and kind soul off the court,” Sather added. “Deng will be greatly missed by all of those that knew and loved him.”
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