Krzyzewski issues apology to Oregon

Duke coach says “it is not my place to talk to another team’s player,” after speaking to Oregon’s Brooks.

durham, n. c. » Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said he has apologized to Oregon coach Dana Altman for his postgame conversation with Dillon Brooks.

In a statement issued Saturday, Krzyzewski said “it is not my place to talk to another team’s player” and he hoped he “did not create a distraction” for the top-seeded Ducks.

Oregon’s season ended Saturday with an 80-68 loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight.

Brooks hit a long 3-pointer with the shot clock expiring in the final seconds of the Ducks’ 82-68 victory over Duke on Thursday night. In the handshake line, Krzyzewski had a prolonged discussion with the Oregon guard — and video of it immediately went viral.

In the statement, Krzyzewski said that chat “took the focus away from the terrific game that Dillon played.”

The Hall of Fame coach also apologized for responding “incorrectly to a reporter’s question about my comment to Dillon.”

Brooks said in the locker room after the game that Krzyzewski told him “I’m too good of a player to be showing (off) at the end.”

In his news conference, Krzyzewski disputed Brooks’ version of events and appeared angry when it was brought up.

“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 go with it, all right?”

A day later, Altman defended his leading scorer, saying Krzyzewski should have approached him— not Brooks— and that he gave the order to shoot because the shot clock was winding down.

“I told Dillon to shoot it. So if anybody’s got a problem with it, it should be directed at me,” Altman said. “He was acting on my orders. I told him to shoot it.”