A crowd of WKU supporters and media members filled Smith Stadium’s Harbaugh Club as WKU introduced its new men’s basketball coach.

Rick Stansbury, former Mississippi State head coach and recent Texas A&M associate head coach, becomes the 15th man to take over the Hilltoppers program.

“There is no question our program is fortunate to have someone with the resume of success in so many areas that Rick Stansbury has,” Athletic Director Todd Stewart said.

Stansbury has collected 293 wins and 11 trips to postseason tournaments in his head coaching career. During his time at MSU, he brought in five top 20 recruiting classes, cementing his reputation as a powerful recruiter in a conference dominated by the University of Kentucky.. 

“Recruiting is of vital success for any program, and previous success in this area was a must,” Stewart said. 

Stansbury’s contract is a four-year deal worth $500,000 with the option to extend the deal for one year beginning in 2020.