Auburn Tigers men’s basketball head coach Bruce Pearl has long been regarded by many not only as one of the best coaches in college basketball — but also as one of the best people.

During his team’s memorable run to the Final Four this past March, an inspiring story emerged involving Pearl and one of his student managers.

Sophomore student manager Sam Cunningham was diagnosed with leukemia at just 12 years old, during the early years of Pearl’s tenure at Auburn.

At the time, Pearl shot an uplifting video encouraging Cunningham to keep fighting through his battle with cancer — a video Cunningham would revisit for motivation often.

But the Tigers’ head coach went a step further.

He made Cunningham a promise that if he beat cancer and came to Auburn, he would make him a student manager and give him the opportunity of a lifetime.

That’s exactly what Cunningham did. He now lives his dream managing one of the best teams in the country because Pearl kept his promise.

Steve Hartman’s ‘On the Road’ told the story on CBS Evening News:

As Cunningham gears up to help Auburn prepare for next season, Pearl’s promise became a dream he’s getting to live out each and every day.