Dan Akin

Daniel "Dan" Akin (pronounced Ah-kin) is a British professional basketball player for Darüşşafaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).

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. 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.

Later, he won the British Division 1 men’s title and Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) final’s MVP with Barking Abbey.

From Barking Abbey, alongside RJ Eytle-Rock, Akin was recruited by Ryan Odom, who was then the UMBC Retrievers 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 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 and earning a share of the regular-season crown. Yet, as top seed, UMBC fell 79-77 to sixth-seed UMass Lowell March 6 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. As of March 2022, he led the California Baptist Lancers 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.

Professional career
For the 2023–24 season, he signed his first professional contract with SIG Strasbourg.

On June 22, 2024, he signed with Darüşşafaka of the Basketbol Süper Ligi (BSL).

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.”