Chris Beard opened up and told his Texas Tech men's basketball players something he's never said publicly.

Beard delivered the stirring speech in the locker room after the team beat Gonzaga and secured its first-ever Final Four berth.

"In these moments, I know it's almost impossible to remember things. You guys know George Tuttle. Our friend Tuttle. He's fighting for his life right now. He lives out here in California, he wanted to come to these game, but he just couldn't. He's been sending me texts, he wanted me to congratulate you guys and all," Beard told the team before getting personal.

"I think back on Tuttle, and I've never really told anyone this publicly, but Tuttle's really the reason I got into college coaching," he explained. "When I went to college, I didn't know if I'd be a high school coach or college coach, and George Tuttle was an assistant at Cal State at the time. He kinda took me under his wing and he told me something I'll never forget: 'Don't anyone ever tell you what you can't and can't do. Don't ever settle...you can do anything you want in this world. I think that's what our team was this year. Great season last year, and this season, we didn't let any of that dictate our own journey. We kept our own expectations."

Beard went on to tell the team that they're "good enough to win the whole thing," asking them to "stay humble in victory" while giving props to Gonzaga for putting up a tough fight in the Elite Eight.

Watch the full clip below:

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