Kyle Keller remembers The Ten in powerful interview with KTRE's Caleb Beames

When Stephen F. Austin hired head coach Kyle Keller to lead their basketball program, many in Nacogdoches knew of his impressive pedigree. Fewer, though, knew Keller the man.

He has a demonstrably brilliant basketball mind, developed from nearly three decades spent working for legendary coaches like Bill Self and Eddie Sutton. He also has a complicated past - one that has shaped his life both professionally and personally in a way many in the Stephen F. Austin community didn't fully understand on Day One.

For those who don't know, the Lumberjacks' coach was closely tied to the disaster that befell his former team at Oklahoma State, where a King Air propeller plane crashed near Strasburg, Colorado, killing all on-board including six staff members, two Cowboys basketball players, and two pilots.

Moments before takeoff, one of the seats had Keller's name on it. After a last minute switch at the request of Sutton, it was Nate Fleming, Keller's cousin and a walk-on player for the team, instead, who perished as a result.

The story was the topic of a powerful episode of Outside the Lines a number of years ago, and everyone should read the long-form story of the Fleming family and Keller that accompanied it.

To this day, Keller wears a pin on his suit in memory of The Ten. This time of year especially, though, the memory is often relived; the anniversary of the crash is tomorrow.

Stephen F. Austin is preparing to take on rival Sam Houston State. It's a game that would ordinarily mean a lot already - but on that hallowed day, it will mean even more for the man who leads the Lumberjacks out of the locker room.

In the lead up to the game this week, Keller sat down for an interview with KTRE's Caleb Beames. "I have never walked out of an interview and cried [and] felt like I learned what true love is, like I did after hearing Kyle Keller's story," Beames tweeted later.

The entire interview is well worth your while if you are interested in learning who SFA entrusted with the highest-profile athletics program in Nacogdoches. It is clear to everyone who knows him, his wife Chaunsea, and the way they live their lives, that the mission of the Keller family extends well beyond basketball.

Take a few minutes out of your day before the Lumberjacks and Bearkats do battle tomorrow to watch this video in its entirety - this is the Kyle Keller people should know: (CLICK HERE).