At 22, Deng Mayar was living the dream. After two successful seasons at North Dakota, he moved to the Summit League champions Omaha Mavericks. A bright future lay ahead of him at a new college and in a new team. Unfortunately, the youngster has abruptly passed away in a drowning incident. Mayar was swimming with his friend at the Blackridge Reservoir on Saturday, August 16, when he went under the water and didn’t resurface.
His friend managed to find the shore, but Mayar didn’t have the same fate. Local rescue teams spent hours scouring the water for Mayar after he disappeared beneath the surface just 35 feet from shore. It wasn’t until late Saturday night that a submersible robot finally found him, allowing crews to recover his body, after which he was pronounced dead.
“We are devastated to learn of Deng’s passing. On behalf of our university community, our love and sincere condolences are with his family during this difficult time. We also wish his friends and teammates in Omaha, North Dakota, and Salt Lake City family, peace as they process this tragic loss.” Omaha Chancellor Adrian Dowell said in a statement. The basketball community is also pretty shook as one of their own will no longer take the court.
I am sorry this is really bad news, very sad
— MD UMAR (@MohdUmar244190) August 18, 2025
(This is a developing story…)
The post “RIP”: Tragedy Strikes NCAA Community Over the Untimely Loss of 22-Year-Old College Basketball Star appeared first on EssentiallySports.
