Dan Akin
Akin with Strasbourg in 2023
No. 30 – SIG Strasbourg
PositionForward / Center
LeaguePro A
Champions League
Personal information
Born (1998-06-16) 16 June 1998
London, England
NationalityBritish
Listed height2.06 m (6 ft 9 in)
Career information
CollegeUMBC (2017–2021)

California Baptist (2021-22)

Utah State (2022-23)
Playing career2023–present
Career history
2023–presentSIG Strasbourg
Career highlights and awards
  • British Division 1 title
  • Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) final’s MVP

Daniel "Dan" Akin (pronounced Ah-kin)[1] is a British professional basketball player for SIG Strasbourg of the French LNB Pro A and the international Champions League.

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.[1]

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.[2]

Later, he won the British Division 1 men’s title and Elite Academy Basketball League (EABL) final’s MVP with Barking Abbey.[2]

From Barking Abbey, alongside RJ Eytle-Rock, Akin was recruited by Ryan Odom, who was then the UMBC Retrievers head coach.[1]

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.[2][3] 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.[1] Yet, as top seed, UMBC fell 79-77 to sixth-seed UMass Lowell March 6 in the tournament semi-finals.[1] 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.[1]

Akin later moved on to his postgraduate programme at California Baptist University.[2] 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.[2]

Akin was able to play an additional NCAA year because of the Covid pandemic.[1]

Professional career

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

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.”[1]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 British Imports Helped Build Retrievers’ Regular-Season Championship Mike Ashley (pressboxonline.com), 9 March 2021. Accessed 17 December 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 California Baptist University's Daniel Akin continues to thrive since leaving Northfleet Technology College Basketball Academy KM Media Group, 18 March 2022. Accessed 30 November 2023.
  3. ↑ Wilco, Daniel (March 17, 2018). "Last perfect bracket busts after UMBC pulls off biggest upset in NCAA tournament history". NCAA.com. National Collegiate Athletic Association. Retrieved March 17, 2018. UMBC (The University of Maryland Baltimore County) scored the biggest upset in the history of the NCAA tournament, beating top overall seed Virginia 74-54 Friday night, and becoming the first 16 seed to win a game in 136 tries.
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