CHARLOTTE, N.C. – On a team full of guys who almost always say the so-called right thing at the right time, Darion Atkins stands out.

That’s because he speaks his mind. He’s frank. He’s honest.

That’s not to say that any of the other players in UVa’s locker room are being disingenuous, but like those players, Atkins is being true to himself, and sometimes that grabs headlines or blows up Twitter. It did last year in the postseason, then again this week at the NCAA Tournament. Twice. The second came after the loss to Michigan State on Sunday.

Atkins released a statement Monday apologizing for comments over the weekend that included answering a reporters’ question ‘Did you feel like you were alone out there at times?’ with ‘To be honest, yeah, I felt like I wanted it more than a few other guys on the team.’

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