Omaha men’s basketball player Deng Mayar, a graduate transfer from North Dakota, died on Saturday in a drowning in his native Utah, the university announced on Sunday. He was 22.

Mayar, who transferred to Omaha for the coming season, and his friend were seen struggling in the water at Blackridge Reservoir near Herriman, Utah, according to media reports.

The other man made it to shore and, along with bystanders, went back to help Mayar. The friend was taken to a hospital, where he is expected to recover. Mayar went underwater but did not reemerge. Rescue crews recovered his body on Saturday night and pronounced him deceased.

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

Listed as a 6-foot-7 forward, Mayar was a Salt Lake City native who attended junior college before playing his junior and senior seasons at North Dakota. He started 15 of 42 games and averaged 5.7 points and 3.9 rebounds in 18.1 minutes per game.

Mayar averaged 6.3 points and 4.0 rebounds in 20.1 minutes last season, during which he started 10 of 29 games.

“Our hearts are broken to hear the tragic news of Deng’s passing,” said Paul Sather, Mayar’s coach at North Dakota. “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.”

–Field Level Media