This is an opinion column.

_____________________

If I learned anything on Friday here in San Antonio, then it’s that Dylan Cardwell is a profoundly gifted public speaker.

Cardwell is Mr. Auburn. Fans love him. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl cherishes him. Cardwell has a job on TV waiting for him when his pro basketball career is over. He’s that good. Maybe even Charles Barkley good.

Something Cardwell said here at the Alamodome made Pearl break down in tears in front of all the cameras. It was a beautiful moment and needs to be shared and celebrated.

Even I got a little choked up, and it takes a lot for this grizzled reporter to find his feelings.

Win or lose here at the Final Four, Cardwell and his Tigers are going to go down as the best team in the history of Auburn basketball. Auburn (32-5) and Florida (34-4) tip off at 5:09 p.m. CT on Saturday at the iconic Alamodome. The Gators upset Auburn 90-81 at Neville Arena earlier this season. This Final Four matchup between Auburn and Florida is about relationships, which is why Cardwell’s words resonated for me on the eve of the big game.

It’s an all-SEC national semifinal, which is the first, most obvious connection.

The SEC was historically dominant this season. Alabama was brilliant. Auburn was a juggernaut. Along the way, Florida developed into a team that many here at the Final Four believe to be unstoppable.

But the league was a showcase of basketball greatness every night. Auburn won the SEC regular-season title. Florida won the SEC tournament. And now they settle it on the elevated court here in San Antonio.

The familiarity between Auburn and Florida doesn’t stop there, though.

Auburn is coached by Pearl and Florida is coached by Todd Golden. Pearl and Golden coached together at Auburn when Pearl was hired in 2014. Golden taught Pearl about analytics and Pearl taught Golden the secrets behind getting the most out of players.

It’s not really a secret at all. It’s just love.

Pearl loves his guys, and that makes him a great coach. It allows him to coach his guys hard.

The Final Four isn’t just a couple of basketball games in April. A lot of people don’t realize that. It’s so much more. It’s a coaching convention. It’s an important training opportunity for younger players in the USA Basketball pool. There are several award ceremonies, too. On Friday, Pearl won the award for AP National Coach of the Year along with Rick Pitino of St. John’s (it was a tie).

During his news conference for the award, Pearl reflected on his philosophy for being a players’ coach. He summed it up by telling a story about Pat Dye, the legendary Auburn football coach. Dye used to say that fathers and uncles could tell their sons and nephews hard truths because those boys knew for an absolute certainty that those tough lessons came from a place of love.

“I spoil my kids, but I will slap the rotten right out of them,” Pearl said. “I spoil my players, but I will slap the rotten right out of them.”

Pearl loves his players like they were his children. It gives Auburn an advantage on the court, but it also develops great men. For Pearl, that’s the only way it works, and that’s why he cried on Friday here at the Final Four. He couldn’t hold it back when Cardwell was asked about his faith.

Pearl is Jewish and he encourages all of his players to study the Bible. Cardwell was asked why he prayed after fouling out against Alabama earlier this season. What role does faith play for this Auburn team?

Cardwell’s answer was extraordinary, and I’m going to print all of it here in its entirety because I think it’s that important. At the end of the day, the games will all end. The relationships we gain along the way, and how we learn from them, are the things that last lifetimes and get passed down to the next generation.

“First and foremost, all glory to my Lord and savior, Jesus Christ,” Cardwell said. “Christian, Judaism might have our differences, we believe in the same God. It’s been great to see and encouraging to see I am under a coach who just is so vocal about his own faith, but allows us to pursue our own. He encourages us to be vocal about it.

“The role faith plays on this team is the biggest role possible. We wouldn’t be here without it. It is a huge catalyst for us because of all the games we’ve been in. We’ve been in 10 to 11 one-possession games, and we’ve only lost one of ‘em. I guess it was the Alabama game at home, which kind of sucked to go through. It’s just encouraging to see.

“We wouldn’t be as humble as we are, we wouldn’t be as connected as we are without faith. I’ll give you an example — continue to talk about Bruce Pearl. He encourages us to have these breakfasts, but also he encourages us to have Bible study. I’ve never seen a coach like him to encourage these things. We wouldn’t be able to connect with each other on a deeper level outside of basketball.

“The word of our year has been ‘sacrifice,‘” Cardwell said. “You won’t know sacrifice if you don’t know Jesus Christ. He’s the one who died for all of our sins. That’s the reason we’ve had this level of urgency lately is because we understand that our sacrifice is the potential to play for a national championship and win a national championship, not just for our own glory, not just for the glory of ourselves, but for our Lord and savior, Jesus Christ.

“But also win a national championship for this university and Bruce Pearl. I’ve been here for five years. He has showed me the ropes to be a great Auburn man. Every time I’m praying, I’m always praying for a national championship, to win it for Bruce Pearl. He earned it, deserves it.

“I’m grateful to be on this stage, to play for and serve a coach like Bruce Pearl, and I am grateful to God who led me to Auburn. That is why I have stayed here for five years, because I love God. I love Auburn. Not most importantly, but importantly — I do love Bruce Pearl.”

Pearl was sitting next to Cardwell on the dais. Auburn’s coach wiped his eyes. He smiled. He looked at Cardwell like a proud father would look at a son. Winning a national title is great, but it’s not the ultimate prize.

Auburn vs. Florida is going to be an epic battle. I’m no coach, but maybe Pearl should let Cardwell give the halftime speech.

BE HEARD

Got a question for Joe? Want to get something off your chest? Send Joe an email about what’s on your mind. Let your voice be heard. Ask him anything.

Joseph Goodman is the lead sports columnist for the Alabama Media Group, and author of the book “We Want Bama: A Season of Hope and the Making of Nick Saban’s Ultimate Team.”