What did Coach K say to Dillon Brooks back in 2016? Controversy between the 2 explored
Dillon Brooks has a lot of heart and soul. He's a great competitor who doesn't shy away from big moments, but he sometimes does a bit too much. Brooks loves taunting his opponents, but he was like that long before he made it to the NBA.
The small forward attended the University of Oregon for three years. He played for the Ducks and helped his team have several deep runs in the NCAA Tournament.
Brooks was also involved in a controversy with Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary coach. This took place after the Oregon Ducks eliminated Coach K's Duke Blue Devils in the Sweet 16 phase of the 2016 NCAA Tournament.
Dillon Brooks and Coach K were involved in an unusual controversy
Back in the 2015-16 season, the Oregon Ducks had a 31-7 record. Dillon Brooks averaged 16.7 points per game and was a big reason why the team reached the Elite Eight phase of the NCAA Tournament.
No. 1 Oregon faced No. 4 Duke in the Sweet 16 phase, winning the game 82-68. The game had many amazing players who'd later become NBA players, from Brooks to Brandon Ingram and Grayson Allen.
The Ducks had a 79-68 lead with 10 seconds left in the game, yet Dillon Brooks decided to take a 3-point shot from the logo. He made the shot, which is something that seemingly annoyed Coach K, who decided to talk to Brooks after the game.
"You're too good of a player to do that," the legendary coach told Brooks after the game.
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Brooks shared this interaction with reporters, admitting that Mike Krzyzewski was right. This usually wouldn't be controversial, but the Duke coach told the press that he didn't say this and that he simply called Brooks a terrific player.
The young basketball player expressed remorse for sharing the details of his interaction with Coach K to media.
"Me and Coach K, that conversation should have stayed with us," Brooks said a day after the game.
Dana Altman, Brooks' coach, said that he wanted the forward to shoot the ball since there was a difference between a shot clock and a game clock. He took responsibility for the 3-pointer as he didn't want his player to be criticized.
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In the end, Coach K called Altman and apologized for his remarks to Brooks. The coach also stated that he reacted incorrectly during the press conference and that he did not want to create any distractions for Oregon's basketball program.
Oregon advanced to the Elite Eight where they met No. 2 Oklahoma. Buddy Hield scored 37 points in the game, knocking the Ducks out of the tournament.