BOWLING GREEN, Ky. (AP) — Western Kentucky has announced the hiring of former Texas A&M assistant Rick Stansbury as its next men's basketball coach.

WKU athletic director Todd Stewart announced the hire on Monday.

Stansbury, 56, had spent the past two seasons as associate head coach to Billy Kennedy with the Aggies, who shared the Southeastern Conference regular season championship with Kentucky. Before that Stansbury spent 22 years at Mississippi State, including his final 14 as head coach, when he went 293-166. The Bulldogs won one SEC regular season title, two tournament titles and made six NCAA Tournament appearances under Stansbury before he retired in March 2012.

The Battletown, Kentucky, native replaces Ray Harper, who resigned on March 17 after going 89-64 with two automatic NCAA Tournament appearances in four-plus seasons with the Hilltoppers.