The basketball community is grieving the loss of Omaha forward Deng Mayar, who died Saturday in a drowning accident at Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Utah. He was 22. Omaha confirmed his death Sunday, sharing that Mayar, who had transferred from North Dakota this offseason, had been in the water with a friend when both began to struggle.
Omaha Mourns Deng Mayar as Coach Chris Crutchfield and Basketball Community Pay Tribute
The University of Nebraska Omaha is grieving the loss of forward Mayar, who died Saturday. According to the Herriman Police Department, Mayar and a friend, Sa Mafutaga, were swimming when both began to struggle.
Mafutaga reached the shore but returned to assist Mayar, prompting bystanders to intervene and help pull him to safety. He was hospitalized and is expected to recover. Authorities said Mayar went under roughly 35 yards from shore and never resurfaced.
Police received the emergency call at 5:40 p.m. local time. Search teams worked for hours until a submersible robot detected Mayar’s body at 10:40 p.m. Divers recovered him by 11 p.m., where he was pronounced dead. His family was present throughout the search.
Omaha head coach Chris Crutchfield issued a statement Sunday reflecting the devastating news.
“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” Crutchfield said. “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.”
Crutchfield also expressed his grief on social media.
🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 https://t.co/U07s7oXvD2
— Chris Crutchfield (@CoachCrutchUNO) August 17, 2025
While Omaha’s official account wrote, “Our deepest condolences to the @OmahaMBB team and Deng Mayar’s loved ones.”
We are heartbroken by the loss of @OmahaMBB student-athlete Deng Mayar. NRG Media extends our deepest condolences to Deng’s family and teammates during this devastating time. pic.twitter.com/hqawzly0Mf
— 1620 The Zone (@1620TheZone) August 18, 2025
“Our sincerest condolences go out to the family and friends of Deng Mayar,” South Dakota Men’s Basketball posted.
Our thoughts are with the family of Deng Mayar and the Omaha & UND basketball, athletic, and campus communities during this difficult time. pic.twitter.com/ITukU0ZRhp
— Josh Fenton (@Fenton_JC) August 17, 2025
North Dakota head coach Paul Sather, who coached Mayar during his two years with the Fighting Hawks, shared his tribute.
“Our hearts are broken,” Sather said. “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.”
Mayar averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds last season at North Dakota. He closed his career there with 12 points and seven rebounds in a 92-79 victory over South Dakota before transferring to Omaha this offseason.
