It's an obvious fact for Red Raiders fans, but it's always great to see Texas Tech men's basketball coach Chris Beard get national recognition.

This week, Beard's been nationally honored by being named as one of the four finalists for the Naismith Coach of the Year award, as announced by Texas Tech Wednesday on Twitter.

From the texastech.com release:

"Each of the four finalists has coached their teams to outstanding seasons and are all deserving of being named Werner Ladder Naismith Coach of the Year," said Stacy Gardella, vice president of brand marketing at WernerCo. "We look forward to watching these coaches guide their teams through the tournament in hopes of winning the championship."

Coach Beard's fellow finalists are: Rick Barnes (Tennessee), Tony Bennett (Virginia) and Kelvin Sampson (Houston).

Fans will be able to support their favorite finalist by visiting this Naismith website between March 22nd and April 3rd to cast their ballot.

On April 7, 2019, the Werner Ladder Naismith Trophy for Men's College Coach of the Year will be awarded at the Naismith Awards Brunch presented by Mortenson, during the Final Four in Minneapolis.

More From Awesome 98