Wilber Signs First Recruit of 2015 Class

MITCHELL, S.D. – Recruiting season is off to a strong start for second-year coach Matt Wilber and the Dakota Wesleyan University men's basketball team after the signing of Bret Mattice to a national letter of intent on Saturday, Sept. 20.

Mattice will come to DWU from Eden Valley, Minn., where he is in his senior season at Eden Valley Watkins High School. Through his junior season with the Eagles, Mattice has scored an average of 19 points per game, with 1,309 points, 132 assists, 333 rebounds and 68 steals in his career.

"Bret will be a great addition to our university and our basketball program," Wilber said. "Finding the right fit in recruiting is a huge priority for us, and we feel we have that in Bret. He is a versatile, active guard that has a knack for finding shots. I believe he will be a great teammate here in our program and am looking forward to working with him."

The last three seasons, Mattice has been a feature player for the Minnesota Breakdown Annual High School Basketball publication, while being named a top 40 junior for the state of Minnesota. He is a two-time 6AA All-Section Team member and a four-time letter winner in basketball.

Mattice is also a member of the Eagles cross country team, having lettered six times in his high school career. He's been named captain of both the Eagles' basketball and cross country teams multiple times.

In the classroom, Mattice has earned Academic All-Conference three times and is a member of the National Honor Society.

Bret is the son of Marc and Lori Mattice. He plans to major in wildlife management and biology at DWU.