Hawaii’s basketball team signs ‘Big Dan’ from China

Another day, another addition to the University of Hawaii men’s basketball team’s front court.

Houran Dan, who played the past two seasons at Seattle University, said he has reached agreement on a commitment contract and will join the Rainbow Warriors in June. Dan, who is 6 feet 11, is the first China-reared player in the program’s Division I history.

“The first thing is the place,” Dan said. “I love Hawaii. Hawaii is my favorite state in America. And second, the University of Hawaii is a very good team. They just won the Big West championship, and now they’re going to the Mountain West. I want to play there.”

After 14 seasons in the Big West, the ’Bows are joining the Mountain West on July 1.

Post players Isaac “Big Fish” Johnson, Harry Rouhliadeff, Gytis Nemeiksa and Yacine Toumi were UH seniors this past season. On Friday, 6-9 Zack Davidson finalized his transfer from Northern Arizona to UH.

Dan reached agreement on a contract with the Rainbow Warriors this past Monday, but details were not finalized until Friday morning.

Dan grew up in Neimenggu, also known as Inner Mongolia, which is an autonomous region of China. Dan played for China’s national team in the FIBA U19 World Cup. He scored 10 points in 18 minutes against the United States.

Three years ago, Dan moved to Arizona to attend Canyon International Academy, a prep school known for its basketball program.

He then signed with Seattle, where he played in all 67 games, including 15 starts, the past two seasons. He had highs of 13 points against Pepperdine and eight rebounds against Gonzaga. The Redhawks, who compete in the West Coast Conference, reached the second round of the 2026 NIT.

Dan had modest numbers this past season — 5.7 points and 2.7 rebounds per game — but drew praise from Elite Ball Media. The site described Dan as a “beast in the paint (who) dunks everything. Has elite footwork and body control that allows him to finish through contact. Can stretch the floor and has the ability to knock it down beyond the arc. Great rim protector and impacts the game on both ends of the floor.”

“I want to shoot more 3-point shots, do more things on the perimeter,” Dan said.

But Dan also wants to maintain his interior scoring.

“I love dunking,” he said. “That makes the team excited. And it keeps my energy.”

Seattle teammates referred to him as “Big Dan” and “Dunkin’ Dan.”

Dan also is a skilled ball-handler. He said former All-NBA guard Derrick Rose “was my favorite player in the NBA. I always wanted to play like a guard.”