Daniel "Dan" Akin (pronounced Ah-kin,British Imports Helped Build Retrievers’ Regular-Season Championship
Mike Ashley (pressboxonline.com), 9 March 2021. Accessed 17 December 2023. born 16 June 1998) is a British professional

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

player for Kolossos Rodou of the

Greek Basketball League The Greek Basketball League (GBL), and also known as the Stoiximan Greek Basketball League (GBL) for sponsorship reasons, is the first tier level professional basketball league in Greece. It is run by the Hellenic Basketball Associat ...

(GBL).

Early life

Akin had been active in several different sports as he competed internationally in team handball and was ranked third in England in the high jump. His fascination with basketball grew when he watched it at the

2012 London Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

. He also hit a growth spurt and a physical education teacher made sure he found his way to the basketball court.

High School and college career

Akin played as a student for the Northfleet Basketball Academy under head coach Martin Parry. He left the academy in 2016.California Baptist University's Daniel Akin continues to thrive since leaving Northfleet Technology College Basketball Academy

KM Media Group KM Media Group is a multimedia company in the county of Kent, England which originated as the publisher of the Kent Messenger. The Group now produces local newspapers, radio stations, TV and websites throughout the county. Iliffe Media acquire ...

, 18 March 2022. Accessed 30 November 2023. Later, he won the British Division 1 men's title and Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) final's MVP with

Barking Abbey The Abbey of St Mary and St Ethelburga, founded in the 7th-century and commonly known as Barking Abbey, is a former Roman Catholic, royal monastery located in Barking, in the London Borough of Barking and Dagenham. It has been described as havi ...

. From Barking Abbey, alongside RJ Eytle-Rock, Akin was recruited by

Ryan Odom Ryan Odom (born July 11, 1974) is an American men's college basketball coach who is the head coach of the Virginia Cavaliers, Virginia Virginia Cavaliers men's basketball, Cavaliers men's basketball team since March 21, 2025. He has previously c ...

, who was then the

UMBC Retrievers The UMBC Retrievers are the athletic teams that represent the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, located in Catonsville, Maryland, in intercollegiate athletics as a member of the NCAA Division I, Division I level of the National Collegiate ...

head coach. He was part of the team that became the first 16-seed to defeat a 1-seed in the men's tournament by defeating

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

74–54. Akin was an integral part of the 2020–21 UMBC Retrievers team as they chased down a 14–6 record, going 10–4 in the

America East The America East Conference (AmEast) is a collegiate athletic conference affiliated with NCAA Division I whose members are located in the Northeastern United States. The conference is headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded in 1979, t ...

and earning a share of the regular-season crown. Yet, as top seed, UMBC fell 79–77 to sixth-seed UMass Lowell on 6 March in the tournament semi-finals. As of early March 2021, Akin averaged 7.9 points and 6.4 rebounds and shot 58 percent from the field, playing a key role inside. Akin later moved on to his postgraduate programme at

California Baptist University California Baptist University (Cal Baptist or CBU) is a private Baptist Christian university in Riverside, California. Founded in 1950 as California Baptist College, it is affiliated with the California Southern Baptist Convention, an organiz ...

. As of March 2022, he led the

California Baptist Lancers The Cal Baptist Lancers are the athletic teams that represent California Baptist University, located in Riverside, California, in intercollegiate sports as a member of the Division I level of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA), ...

in both points and rebounds at 12.9 points and 8.3 rebounds per contest in the Western Athletic Conference. He further led all European players in the NCAA for true shooting percentage. Akin was able to play an additional NCAA year because of the

Covid pandemic Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fev ...

Professional career

For the 2023–24 season, he signed his first professional contract with

SIG Strasbourg Strasbourg Illkirch-Graffenstaden Basket, most commonly known as SIG Basket or SIG Strasbourg, is a French professional basketball club that is based in Strasbourg. The club, founded in 1929, competes domestically in the French Pro A League. The ...

. On 22 June 2024, he signed with Darüşşafaka of the

Basketbol Süper Ligi The Basketball Super League (; TBSL), also known as the Türkiye Sigorta Basketbol Süper Ligi for sponsorship reasons, is the top men's professional basketball division of the Turkish basketball league system. It replaced the former Turkish Bas ...

(BSL). On September 4, 2024, he signed with

Scafati Basket Scafati Basket, known for sponsorship reasons as Givova Scafati, is an Italian professional basketball club based in Scafati, Campania. The club competes in the top level Italian professional basketball league, the Lega Basket Serie A (LBA). Hi ...

of the

Lega Basket Serie A The Lega Basket Serie A (LBA) is a professional men's club (sport), club basketball list of basketball leagues, league that has been organised in Italy since 1920. Serie A is organised by Lega Basket, which is regulated by the Italian Basketball ...

(LBA). On July 7, 2025, he signed with Kolossos Rodou of the

(GBL).

National team

He represented England's national under-18 team and Great Britain's national under-18 team.

Playing style

Akin does a lot of the “dirty work” around the basket. His UMBC coach Odom said: “Dan’s the best athlete on the team. He’s a great rebounder, a guy that really gets your attention inside when he catches the ball. If you don’t get bodies around him he has the quickness to get right around you. Defensively, he’s really versatile. He can guard one through five.”

References

External links

*
Utah State Aggies bio

Daniel Akin
at LNB {{DEFAULTSORT:Akin, Dan 1998 births Living people 21st-century British sportsmen Basketball players from London British expatriate basketball people in France British expatriate basketball people in the United States British men's basketball players Centers (basketball) Power forwards Scafati Basket players SIG Strasbourg players