College basketball star Deng Mayar killed in tragic drowning accident

University of Nebraska basketball star Deng Mayar tragically died Saturday in a stunning drowning incident. He was 22.

The Omaha ahead obtained into hassle whereas he was swimming with a pal on the Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, 20 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, on Saturday simply earlier than 6 p.m., Fox 13 reported.

Sa Mafutaga, 21, Mayar’s pal who was with him within the reservoir on the time, was in a position to attain the shore however then realized his pal was nonetheless within the water.

He went again in to assist, however couldn’t attain his pal, and was pulled to security himself by Unified Fire Authority.

After hours of looking out, Mayar’s physique was discovered by the Utah Highway Patrol’s submersible robotic at 10:40 p.m. His physique 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 close by, instructed Fox 13.

Mayar, who had transferred to Omaha from the North Dakota Fighting Hawks this summer season, was raised in Salt Lake City.

He was beforehand a member of the Howard Junior College males’s basketball workforce.

“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 males’s basketball coach Chris Crutchfield stated in a press release, 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 stated.

Mayar, a 6-foot-8 ahead, averaged 6.3 factors and 4.0 rebounds for the Fighting Hawks final season and completed with 12 factors and 7 rebounds in his last sport, a 92-79 win over South Dakota.

His former coach at North Dakota, Paul Sather, stated his workforce’s “hearts are broken” after studying of Mayar’s tragic loss of life.

“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 stated in a press release.

Counseling companies are being supplied to any college students who need them this week, the Fighting Hawks announced.