Former Bison hoops star Matt Wyman back home, starting career as dentist
Matt Wyman has stayed plenty busy since his days at Great Falls High.
Between four years of highly successful play for the Carroll College men’s basketball team to another four of dental school in Portland, the former Bison star has always been focused on his future.
Upon graduating from Oregon Health and Science University in June, Wyman returned home with his wife Taylor and enjoyed some much-needed R-and-R on his family’s boat on the Missouri River.
The post-college siesta didn’t last long, however, as Wyman, 26, has joined a local dental practice in his hometown to begin his career. But he doesn’t just see Great Falls as a steppingstone.
“I was in Portland for four years and plan to be in Great Falls for 60 years,” Wyman laughed. “Forever. That’s our plan. We’re excited to be back here with family and friends.”
The former NAIA All-American, now a Doctor of Dental Medicine, has joined Dr. Sheldon Ivers’ office with the goal of eventually owning his own practice in Great Falls. In the past few weeks, Wyman has started to learn the ropes of the dental career from Ivers, who has practiced in Great Falls for over 50 years.
“I’ve been training and learning how the office flow is and just working to get patients of my own and get going,” Wyman said. “It’s been fun, but it’s going to be a big learning curve.”
A career in the medical field is a family affair for Wyman, whose mother Diane works at the Great Falls Clinic, and father Erich is employed at Benefis Health System. The same goes for Taylor, who recently began a pharmacy job in the Electric City, as her father was an optometrist and her mother recently retired as a pharmacist.
Wyman said he was drawn to dentistry by Carroll College teammate and mentor, Oliver Carr, and decided to shadow a dentist. During his dental school training, Wyman worked as a pediatric dental assistant and grew to love the work as he gained rapport with patients.
He said he relishes in the challenge of diagnosing and finding ways to help each individual patient.
“It’s really an art, which I didn’t realize until I got into dental school,” Wyman said. “I’m a very detail-oriented person and I thought (dentistry) was an area where that could shine through. Every patient that comes in is different.”
He also believes his skillset goes beyond serving the medical needs of the patient, as developing a personal connection is important. Especially for those who don’t look forward to their time in the dentist’s chair.
“My goal is to provide my patients with a relaxing, comfortable experience at the dentist,” Wyman said. “I realize many people have had bad experiences or do not enjoy going in for dental appointments, but I hope my goofy and friendly personality can help alleviate some of the worries.”
Wyman was nothing if not a worker in his basketball career. In his senior year of hoops with Great Falls High, he earned first-team All-State honors as he led the state at 4.7 assists per game and averaged just under 14 points. Along with teammates such as Brendan Howard, Jake Wetzel and Lukas Vining, the Bison pulled off an upset for the ages in 2015 as they trounced state-tournament favorite Missoula Hellgate 76-54 in the first round as a No. 4 seed.
The victory over Hellgate, led by future Oregon State star Tres Tinkle, helped cement an already strong bond with that Great Falls High squad, Wyman said. Since coming back home, Wyman has already met up with Wetzel for a round of golf and caught up with Howard.
“That’s one of the things we always reminisce when we see each other. It was so special,” Wyman said.
The hardwood successes continued in Helena for Wyman, whose Saints teams won three of four Frontier Conference championships and advanced to the NAIA national tourney all four years. In his senior season, Wyman was named third-team NAIA All-American as Carroll College advanced to the national championship round for the first time in its history alongside teammates such as Dane Warp of Havre and star Match Burnham.
Wyman was also named an Academic All-American in his senior season, holding a 3.86 GPA.
“Really, my main priority was school,” Wyman said. “After I made the goal of getting into dental school, there was a lot of late nights and early mornings and opening up the textbook on the bus trips and whatnot. I’m just thankful for my time (at Carroll), it really propelled me into dental school.”
Basketball and academic prowess has continued in the Wyman family with younger brother Drew, the 2021 Montana Gatorade Player of the Year who last season led College of Idaho to an NAIA national title and was also named Academic All-American.
“I’m not just proud of how well he did (in basketball), but of the man he’s becoming,” Wyman said. “I’m excited to see what the future holds for him.”
Wyman and his wife Taylor (Kumm), also a former Bison basketball star, were married two years ago. He said the couple enjoyed their time in Portland, skiing at Mt. Hood and taking in the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast. But Wyman said they’re happy to trade those venues for Showdown and the Missouri to be back among family and friends.
He said he looks forward to seeing familiar faces out and about in Great Falls and at his dental office as he kickstarts his new career.
“We’re excited to finally after a lot of years of school and being away from home to be back working and around the people that we love,” Wyman said. “It was a very exciting time to graduate because being away from our family and friends for four years, but it was all worth it.
“I look forward to many years in town as a dentist and serving my community to the best of my ability.”
Wyman is accepting new patients and can be reached at Dr. Ivers’ office at 406-727-2444.
This article originally appeared on Great Falls Tribune: Former Bison hoops star Matt Wyman back home, starting career as dentist
