The WKU coaching staff will welcome a new member this offseason.

Shawn Forrest has joined the Toppers as an assistant coach, the school announced Monday.

Forrest has spent the past several years as an assistant coach at several other Sun Belt Conference schools. He served at Arkansas State from 2003-08 before spending the next four seasons as an assistant coach at North Texas. He was part of the coaching staff at Louisiana-Lafayette last season.

He will take over the vacancy in the WKU coaching staff left by former assistant coach Phil Cunningham, who accepted the position of head coach at Troy in March.

Forrest said he has become familiar with the WKU team and coaches in his time competing against the Toppers, including coach Ray Harper.

“I’m pretty familiar with the guys that we have coming back and the guys that just left,” Forrest said Monday. “I think it’s a great opportunity for this team. I think coach Harper’s done a tremendous job building this — not only the roster but the program, taking over a year and a half ago in January. I think he’s done a heck of a job.”