Utah Utes basketball: Junior College transfer Antonio DiMaria signs with Utes

SALT LAKE CITY — As expected, the University of Utah basketball team signed Antonio DiMaria to a letter of intent for next season. Coach Jim Boylen also confirmed Wednesday that Chris Hines will be back with the team for his sophomore season, contrary to previous reports.

DiMaria, a transfer from Casper Community College, will join the Utes for summer school and the offseason conditioning program, according to Boylen.

"Antonio is a terrific signing for our program," Boylen said in a prepared statement. "He is a talented, versatile, shooting wing and addresses our need for another scoring threat. We also liked Antonio's experience and his solid character on and off the floor, and we think he can bring more leadership to our locker room."

DiMaria was a first-team all-Region IX and first-team all-conference selection in the Wyoming Community College Athletic Conference (WCCAC). He averaged 17 points and six rebounds while making 77 three-pointers on the year. DiMaria has also excelled in the classroom, posting a GPA above 3.0 for his cumulative career at Casper.

"I developed a great relationship with coach Boylen and (assistant) coach (Barret) Peery this year, and I feel I have a great chance to succeed at Utah," said DiMaria. "I am really excited to play in the Mountain West Conference and for Coach Boylen."

Hines, a redshirt freshman guard from Houston, played sparingly in the first part of the season, but over the last seven games, he averaged 17.7 minutes per game and scored 7.7 points on 51 percent shooting, including 10 of 18 from 3-point range.

With the signing of DiMaria and the confirmation of Hines' return, the Utes still have two scholarships open, which they hope to fill later this month during the spring signing period.

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