New audio proves Coach K scolded Oregon’s Dillon Brooks
CBS solved the Sweet 16’s biggest mystery on Friday night when it released audio of the exchange between Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and Oregon forward Dillon Brooks during the handshake line Thursday night.
The clip proved that Brooks gave an accurate account of the conversation and Krzyzewski did not.
When Brooks beat the shot clock with a meaningless 3-pointer in the final seconds of Oregon’s 82-68 win, he celebrated by woofing and gesturing in the direction of the Duke bench. That angered Krzyzewski, who pulled Brooks aside after the game and told him, “You’re too good of a player to do that.”
Before the release of the audio, Brooks told SI.com that Krzyzewski scolded him for his behavior, telling him he was “too good of a player to be showing off at the end.” The Oregon star conceded Krzyzewski was right, adding “I have to learn from those things.”
This story would have long blown over had Krzyzewski corroborated that account of the conversation, but the Duke coach instead vehemently insisted that’s not the way it went at all. When asked what he said to Brooks after the game, Krzyzewski initially said he congratulated Brooks and told him he’s “a terrific player.” When later informed how Brooks described the conversation, Krzyzewski became defensive.
“I didn’t say that,” Krzyzewski said. “You can say whatever you want. Dillon Brooks is a hell of a player. I said, ‘You’re a terrific player.’ And you can take whatever he said and then go with it, all right?”
Krzyzewski was otherwise gracious in defeat, going out of his way to congratulate Oregon on advancing to the Elite Eight and to acknowledge, “They were the better team.” The Ducks pulled away from the Blue Devils by attacking off the dribble, altering shots around the rim and turning ever long rebound or blocked shot into a transition slam.
Why would Krzyzewski not tell the truth about the exchange with Brooks? We may never know for certain, but the most likely explanation is he saw no reason to share the details of the exchange initially, got caught by surprise by what Brooks revealed and then panicked and doubled down on the lie instead of coming clean.
Krzyzewski is the greatest coach of his generation, but this wasn’t his finest moment.
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Jeff Eisenberg is the editor of The Dagger on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at [email protected] or follow him on Twitter!
