Coach K apparently scolded a Virginia Tech player about ethics in 2007
Dillon Brooks isn’t the first opposing player Mike Krzyzewski has scolded after a Duke loss.
Last week’s semi-controversy, in which Coach K told Brooks after the game that he was “too good of a player” to show off after hitting a late, inconsequential three-pointer that extended Oregon’s lead in the final seconds. Brooks, unencumbered, told the story in his press conference and was gracious about it, but Krzyzewski initially denied he made the comments. Only after video footage verified Brooks’s account of the conversation did the Duke head coach apologize.
The events recalled a similar, lower-profile incident from January 2007. Duke, ranked No. 5 at the time, took the first-ever home loss to Virginia Tech in program history, 69–67 in overtime. VT guard Zabian Dowdell had 20 points and five steals, and the Hokies enjoyed a raucous celebration after the game, understandably.
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As the Baltimore Sun wrote, Dowdell told The Roanoke Times that Krzyzewski scolded him for his possibly-excessive celebration.
Turn to about the 40-second mark in this video to see the incident, after Dowdell pops his jersey at Duke fans at Cameron Indoor.
“He just told me I'm too classy of a guy to be carrying on like that,” said Dowdell, who reportedly bumped chests with a teammate and “popped his jersey in front of the Cameron Crazies,” according to the Times.
In a teleconference in the following days, Krzyzewski denied making the comments.
“No, no, I just congratulated him,” Krzyzewski said. “I respect the heck out of him. He's a great kid and that's enough said. He was fabulous. That's the main message that was made.”
Krzyzewski, according to the Sun, repeatedly interrupted the reporter who asked about it, ending the subject with this: “What I say to players is always said with the greatest deal of respect because I respect our opponents immensely and the kids who are playing the game.”
