Shawn Forrest is in his third season (2018-19) as an assistant coach at SMU and 21st as a collegiate coach after being hired by Head Coach Tim Jankovich on August 23, 2016.
The 2017-18 Mustangs started 13-6 with three wins over ranked opponents, topping No. 2 Arizona in the Battle 4 Atlantis tournament, No. 14 USC at Moody Coliseum and No. 7 Wichita State on the road. Shake Milton was named All-AAC Second Team, NABC All-District Second Team and USBWA All-District. During the season, Milton was on the Naismith Trophy, Wooden Award, Lute Olson and Bob Cousy watch lists. Freshman Ethan Chargois was named to the AAC All-Rookie Team. Ben Emelogu led The American in 3-point percentage (.470). The Mustangs eventually finished 17-16 after leading scorers Jarrey Foster and Shake Milton missed February and March due to injuries.
In his first season at SMU (2016-17), the Mustangs won The American season and tournament titles en route to the NCAA Tournament and a program-record 30 victories (30-5). SMU went 18-0 at home, 17-1 in the AAC and had winning streaks of 10 games and 16 games in a stretch that saw wins in 26 of 27 outings. The Ponies were ranked in the Associated Press top 25 for the last six weeks of the season, finishing No. 11 in the AP and No. 23 in the USA Today Coaches Poll. Five Mustangs garnered league awards with Semi Ojeleye being named The American Player of the Year and Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Ojeleye was also All-AAC First Team, AP All-America Honorable Mention and CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team. Ben Moore, Sterling Brown and Shake Milton made the All-AAC Second Team. Ben Emelogu II was named AAC Co-Sixth Man of the Year. After winning the conference tournament, Moore and Brown were named All-Tournament with Ojeleye selected as the Most Outstanding Player. Moore and Brown were selected to play in the NABC All-Star game at the Final Four in Phoenix.Â
Forrest was at Western Kentucky the previous three seasons (2013-16), where he helped the Hilltoppers to back-to-back 20-win seasons while coaching two-time all-conference selections in T.J. Price and George Fant.
Before heading to Bowling Green, Forrest spent the 2012-13 season as an assistant coach at Louisiana-Lafayette where he helped mentor Elfrid Payton and Shawn Long. Payton went on to become the 10th overall selection in the 2014 NBA Draft while Long would later become Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year.
Forrest also spent time at North Texas. In 2011, he helped land a recruiting class that was ranked as high as No. 31 in the country. Among the signees was Tony Mitchell who later became the highest NBA Draft pick in North Texas history when he was selected No. 37 overall by the Detroit Pistons. He helped UNT to three consecutive seasons of 20-plus wins, highlighted in 2009-10 when the Mean Green went 24-9, won the Sun Belt Conference West Division and the Sun Belt Conference Tournament to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Prior to that, Forrest spent six seasons (2002-08) at Arkansas State where he played a critical part in multiple top-100 recruiting classes which included a pair of two-time All-Sun Belt Conference players, a Sun Belt Conference Newcomer of the Year, a league-leading scorer, a second-leading scorer and a third-leading scorer.
Forrest joined the Red Wolves’ staff after serving as the recruiting coordinator at Florida A&M during the 2001-02 season. While at Florida A&M, Forrest helped the Rattlers to a fourth-place finish in the MEAC, which was the highest the program had finished in 10 years.
Forrest got his start in collegiate coaching as a graduate assistant at Troy for three seasons from 1998-2001. During that time, Forrest worked with the guards and assisted with recruiting, academics and travel.
Forrest was a standout on the basketball team at Arkansas-Pine Bluff, where he received his bachelor's degree in 1998. He and his wife, Renea, have three daughters, Abri, Aaliyah and Alyssa.Â
