Deng Mayar, Omaha Mavericks forward, dies in tragic drowning accident

Deng Mayar, a senior forward for the Omaha Mavericks, tragically drowned in a Utah reservoir on Saturday. Mayar, who came as a graduate transfer to UNO after playing the previous two seasons for North Dakota, was only 22.

“Our entire program is devastated to learn of Deng’s passing,” said Omaha coach Chris Crutchfield in a statement released Sunday. “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.”

According to reports, Mayar and his friend were seen struggling at Blackridge Reservoir in Herriman, Utah, near his hometown of Salt Lake City. Mayar’s friend made it to shore and went back out in an attempt to help Mayar, but was unable to rescue him. Mayar’s body was recovered from the reservoir hours later, and his friend was hospitalized and is expected to recover.

Mayar was set to begin his Master’s studies at UNO, according to a GoFundMe page created by his family, after having graduated from the University of North Dakota this past April with a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Communications.

“Our hearts are broken to hear the tragic news of Deng’s passing,” said Paul Sather, Mayar’s coach at North Dakota, 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. 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 was born in Magna, Utah, a suburb of Salt Lake City, and had six siblings, according to his Omaha athlete profile. He attended Judge Memorial Catholic High School in Salt Lake City, where he was a four-year varsity letterman. As a senior in 2020, he averaged over 17 points and five rebounds per game and helped lead the Bulldogs to a fourth-place finish in the Utah state tournament.

“I didn’t get the chance to coach Deng personally but got to know him well as we invited alumni to be part of the Judge basketball program w/ our new staff,” said current Judge Memorial Catholic men’s basketball coach Sanjin Kolovrat on social media platform X, formerly Twitter. “Deng was a role model to younger kids, a hard worker, and a terrific human being.”

Following his high school career, he made stops at Western Texas, Coffeyville, and Howard (TX) junior colleges. At Howard, he started all 30 games and averaged over 11 points per contest.

“I was fortunate enough to know and coach Deng,” Howard men’s basketball coach Kyle Cooper said on his X page, one of many posts from the JUCO community mourning the loss. “Always had a smile on his face and brightened any room that he walked into. We lost a truly great person.”

He joined Sather’s Fighting Hawks in the spring of 2023 and helped bolster UND’s front line. In 2023-24, he played in 13 games, averaging 4.5 points and nearly four rebounds for a team that finished tied for second in a competitive Summit League. The team struggled more in the 2024-25 season, but Mayar blossomed, playing in 29 games with ten starts and boosting his numbers to over six points and four rebounds per game.

Mayar transferred to fellow Summit League school Omaha this past spring for what would have been his final year of eligibility.

“We’ve had the luxury to compete against [Mayar] for the last two years,” Coach Crutchfield said at the time of his commitment. “We love his athleticism and versatility and look forward to working with him.”

Mayar was a member of the South Sudanese American community, sporting a South Sudanese flag in his X account bio and often making posts with pride for his ancestral home, including about the South Sudanese national men’s basketball team’s successes in the lead-up to and during the Olympics last summer.

His family has released a GoFundMe page here.