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Omaha men’s basketball player Deng Mayar died Saturday in a drowning incident, the school announced on Sunday. He was 22.
The incident occurred at Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Utah, on Saturday, according to FOX 13 Salt Lake City. Mayar and 21-year-old Sa Mafutaga were struggling in the water. Mafutaga was able to reach the shore with the help of some bystanders and tried to get to Mayar but couldn’t reach him. Emergency personnel were called to the scene.
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North Dakota forward Deng Mayar (5) shoves Iowa forward Payton Sandfort (20) out of the way as he drives to the basket during a college basketball game between the North Dakota Fighting Hawks and the Iowa Hawkeyes on November 07, 2023, at Carver-Hawkeye Arena in Iowa City, IA. (Keith Gillett/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Emergency officials were unable to find him for hours before they used a submersible robot to locate his body, according to the outlet. Mafutaga was taken to a hospital but was expected to recover.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” Omaha 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.”
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Mayar transferred to Omaha after spending two seasons at North Dakota.
“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.
Nov 7, 2023; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; North Dakota Fighting Hawks forward Deng Mayar (5) and Iowa Hawkeyes forward Ben Krikke (23) battle for the opening tipoff during the first half at Carver-Hawkeye Arena. (Jeffrey Becker/USA TODAY Sports)
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“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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