Daenan Gyimah

Daenan Kofi Gyimah (born 16 January 1998), commonly known as Daenan Gyimah or Kofi, is a Canadian professional volleyball player who plays as a middle blocker for BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in Poland’s PlusLiga and represents the Canada men’s national volleyball team. He attended the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where he earned AVCA First-Team All-America honors in three consecutive seasons from 2018 to 2020. Gyimah stands 200 cm tall and is recognized for his jumping ability, quick attacking and net presence.

After completing his UCLA career in 2020, Gyimah spent several years pursuing professional music before returning to club volleyball with Hurrikaani Loimaa in Finland in December 2023. He helped the club win the 2024 Finnish championship, played for Arago de Sète in France during 2024–25 and joined BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in 2025. He also has an established international career with Canada, including appearances in the Volleyball Nations League. Outside volleyball, he is a recording artist, producer and songwriter who has released music under the name Kofi through Red Bull Records.

Player Information

Field	Details
Full Name	Daenan Kofi Gyimah
Common Name	Daenan Gyimah
Nickname / Stage Name	Kofi
Date of Birth	16 January 1998
Hometown	Scarborough, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Nationality	Canadian
Position	Middle Blocker
Height	200 cm (6 ft 7 in)
Weight	96 kg
Spike Reach	380 cm
Block Reach	339 cm
Dominant Hand	Right
College / University	University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)
High School	Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute
Current Club	BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
Current League	Polish PlusLiga
Club Number	16 (2026–27)
Previous Professional Clubs	Hurrikaani Loimaa; Arago de Sète
College Team	UCLA Bruins
National Team	Canada Men’s National Volleyball Team
National-Team Number	16 (2026 VNL)
Father	Alexander Gyimah
Mother	Deborah Gyimah
Sibling	Aja Gyimah (older sister)
Instagram	@jmgkofi
X	@jmgkofi

Early Life & Volleyball Beginnings

Daenan Gyimah grew up in Scarborough, a district of Toronto, Ontario. His father, Alexander Gyimah, is of Ghanaian heritage, while his mother, Deborah, has Polish family roots. Growing up in a multicultural household and community would later influence his interests outside volleyball, particularly his musical identity.

His introduction to volleyball came through his older sister, Aja. Watching her play encouraged him to take up the sport during ninth grade, relatively late compared with many players who eventually reach the international level.

At Sir Oliver Mowat Collegiate Institute, Gyimah participated in both volleyball and basketball. His UCLA biography records that he earned team Most Valuable Player recognition in both sports. The experience helped develop the athleticism and jumping ability that became central to his volleyball career.

He also competed for STVC Nemesis, a Canadian youth volleyball club. His performances led to Canadian all-star recognition and opportunities with the country’s junior national-team programme.

Gyimah eventually committed to UCLA, one of the established programmes in American men’s collegiate volleyball. His choice offered the opportunity to study in Los Angeles while competing under head coach John Speraw.

Moving from Toronto to Southern California placed him in a different sporting and cultural environment. It also exposed him to new musical influences, although competitive volleyball remained the primary reason for his arrival.

Club Career

UCLA Bruins: Three Consecutive All-America Selections

Gyimah played for the UCLA Bruins from the 2016–17 through 2019–20 collegiate seasons, wearing jersey number 16.

He made an immediate impression during his freshman season in 2017. Despite appearing in only 19 matches, he started 17 times and led UCLA with a .494 hitting percentage. He also averaged 0.98 blocks per set and earned a place on the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation (MPSF) All-Freshman Team.

The 2018 season represented a major breakthrough.

Gyimah started all 34 matches and led NCAA Division I-II men’s volleyball with a .528 hitting percentage. He accumulated 151 total blocks and averaged 1.22 blocks per set, ranking among the country’s leading players in both attacking efficiency and blocking.

His performances earned AVCA First-Team All-America honors and the Ryan Millar Award, presented by Off the Block to the country’s top collegiate middle attacker.

UCLA reached the 2018 NCAA championship match, defeating BYU in the semifinals before facing Long Beach State in the final. The Bruins finished as national runners-up, with Gyimah earning NCAA All-Tournament Team recognition.

In 2019, he again received AVCA First-Team All-America honors.

That season, UCLA experimented with his versatility. Although primarily a middle blocker, he also appeared at outside hitter and opposite, demonstrating an attacking range beyond the usual responsibilities of his position.

He recorded 25 kills against Stanford and achieved a .917 hitting percentage against McKendree, converting 11 of 12 attacks without an error. The latter became a UCLA single-match record.

Gyimah also received the AVCA National Player of the Week award and repeated as the Ryan Millar Award winner.

During his final season in 2020, he continued to be one of the most efficient attackers in American collegiate volleyball. His .492 hitting percentage led the MPSF and ranked sixth nationally.

He averaged 2.98 kills per set and received AVCA First-Team All-America recognition for a third consecutive season.

According to UCLA’s final collegiate career records, Gyimah finished with a .483 career hitting percentage, the best in school history at the time. His 431 total blocks and 96 service aces also placed him among the university’s career leaders.

His UCLA career established a particularly strong statistical record: he was not simply a tall blocker but an unusually productive attacker capable of maintaining high efficiency against collegiate competition.

A Break from Volleyball to Pursue Music

Gyimah did not immediately follow the conventional route from NCAA volleyball to an overseas professional club.

While studying at UCLA, he had been developing a parallel career as a singer, rapper, producer and songwriter. Under the stage name Kofi, he released music independently and gained attention within Toronto’s hip-hop and R&B scene.

In March 2020, he signed a recording agreement with Red Bull Records.

Rather than entering the professional volleyball circuit directly after university, Gyimah devoted several years to developing his recording career. The decision temporarily interrupted his progress as a volleyball player, although he continued to identify closely with the sport.

His career eventually returned to competitive volleyball through a move to Finland at the end of 2023.

Hurrikaani Loimaa: Returning to Volleyball and Winning in Finland

Gyimah joined Hurrikaani Loimaa during the 2023–24 Finnish Mestaruusliiga season.

The move represented his first professional club experience after his extended break from competitive volleyball.

He arrived partway through the season, joining a squad coached by Olli Kuoksa. Hurrikaani’s official club reporting described him as an important addition after injuries affected the middle-blocker rotation.

His attacking power and ability to finish difficult sets quickly became useful to the team.

By March 2024, Hurrikaani had won the league’s regular season and entered the playoffs among the championship favorites.

The team advanced to the final against Akaa-Volley and won the championship series 4–0.

On 16 April 2024, Hurrikaani completed the series with a straight-sets victory, claiming the first Finnish men’s national championship in the club’s history.

Gyimah scored nine points in the decisive match and was officially included among the championship-winning players.

The title was an important achievement in his comeback. He had returned to elite team competition and contributed to a national championship within his first professional season.

His period in Finland also drew attention for his jumping ability. In later interviews, Gyimah discussed a reported jump reaching approximately 390 cm during a demonstration before a match.

That anecdote became part of his public reputation, although official competition registrations have subsequently listed his spike reach at 380 cm.

Arago de Sète: A Full Season in France

For the 2024–25 season, Gyimah moved to Arago de Sète in France’s top professional league, the Marmara SpikeLigue.

Unlike his midseason arrival in Finland, the transfer gave him the opportunity to participate in a full campaign with a new team.

At Sète, his responsibilities included attacking in the middle of the court, organizing the block and providing a regular scoring option on quick sets.

The French league’s official Data Project statistics record 23 regular-season matches and 90 sets for Gyimah. He finished first in the league’s middle-blocker statistical ranking index.

That result was significant because the ranking evaluated his contribution across attacking, blocking and serving categories rather than focusing solely on total points.

He also adapted to a league with different tactical rhythms and a wider variety of opposing middle blockers.

At the end of the season, Arago de Sète publicly thanked him for his contribution. The club highlighted his presence at the net, calmness and effectiveness as part of the team’s collective play.

His performances in France helped establish that his successful return in Finland had not been an isolated season.

BOGDANKA LUK Lublin: Moving to Poland’s PlusLiga

On 26 June 2025, BOGDANKA LUK Lublin announced the signing of Gyimah for the 2025–26 Polish PlusLiga season.

The move represented another step in the level of his club competition. Lublin entered the season as the defending Polish champion and a recent winner of the CEV Challenge Cup, having claimed both titles before Gyimah joined the squad.

He arrived alongside several new players, including fellow Canadians Jackson Young and Fynnian McCarthy. Under head coach Stéphane Antiga, Lublin had a roster featuring established international players such as Wilfredo León, Marcin Komenda, Kewin Sasak and Aleks Grozdanov.

Gyimah joined as part of the middle-blocker rotation rather than as the team’s primary scoring option.

His responsibilities included providing attacking efficiency through the middle, maintaining block positioning and contributing whenever the starting lineup was adjusted.

Lublin began the 2025–26 season by winning the Polish SuperCup. The club subsequently captured the Polish Cup in January 2026, completing a sequence of domestic titles.

The team also made its debut in the CEV Champions League. Lublin advanced through the group stage but was eliminated by fellow Polish club PGE Projekt Warszawa in the quarterfinals.

Gyimah appeared during that European campaign, including the quarterfinal return match on 1 April 2026. In that contest, he recorded two service aces as Lublin won the match in five sets, although Warszawa advanced on aggregate.

In the Polish league, Lublin returned to the championship final against Aluron CMC Warta Zawiercie. The series reached a deciding fifth match, which Zawiercie won to claim the 2026 title.

Gyimah therefore finished his first PlusLiga season with a Polish championship silver medal, alongside the team’s SuperCup and Polish Cup victories.

In December 2025, Lublin had already announced that he would remain with the club for the 2026–27 season.

Club Career Timeline

Seasons	Team	Country
2016–2020	UCLA Bruins (college)	United States
2023–2024	Hurrikaani Loimaa	Finland
2024–2025	Arago de Sète	France
2025–present	BOGDANKA LUK Lublin	Poland

National Team Career

Gyimah’s international career began during his development years in Canada.

He represented the country at youth and junior levels before completing his NCAA career.

His early international experience included the 2016 NORCECA U21 Championship and the 2017 FIVB Men’s U21 World Championship in the Czech Republic.

These competitions gave him experience against international opposition while he was still developing at UCLA.

Senior International Debut and Early VNL Experience

Gyimah joined Canada’s senior national-team programme in 2019.

He was included in the squad for that year’s FIVB Volleyball Nations League, marking his introduction to regular senior international competition.

The move came after two highly successful collegiate seasons in which he had established himself as one of the NCAA’s leading middle blockers.

His early international involvement coincided with the final years of his UCLA career. However, his decision to focus on music subsequently limited his involvement in professional volleyball and interrupted the continuity of his national-team development.

Returning to Team Canada in 2024

After returning to professional volleyball in Finland, Gyimah rejoined Canada’s senior programme in 2024.

His successful club season helped restore his competitive profile, while his ability to attack at a high contact point remained an important asset.

The national-team return allowed him to resume competing against international opponents and continue adapting to modern senior-level volleyball.

Rather than restarting his career as a complete newcomer, he returned with previous international experience and a successful collegiate background, but also faced the challenge of regaining consistency after several years away from professional competition.

Volleyball Nations League 2025

Gyimah was included in Canada’s Volleyball Nations League squad for 2025.

He played in nine matches and recorded 60 points, including 40 attacks, 16 blocks and four service aces.

The blocking contribution was particularly important. With 16 block points, he demonstrated his ability to produce direct points against international attackers rather than contributing only through block touches and defensive positioning.

The 2025 campaign also gave him an extended opportunity to work under Canada’s national-team coaching staff as the country continued developing its senior squad.

He shared the middle-blocker group with players including Fynnian McCarthy and Jordan Schnitzer.

Canada finished 14th in the 2025 VNL standings.

Gyimah was subsequently named in Canada’s squad for the 2025 FIVB Men’s World Championship in the Philippines. His tournament player page does not record individual scoring statistics, so his inclusion should be distinguished from verified match participation.

Volleyball Nations League 2026

Gyimah remained involved in Canada’s national-team programme during 2026.

Volleyball World’s official tournament records list him in two VNL matches, against Japan and Cuba in July.

He scored 10 points against Japan, contributing seven attack points and three block points.

Against Cuba, he added six points, including five attacks and one block.

Across those two appearances, he recorded 16 points, with 12 attack points and four block points.

Although the sample was much smaller than his 2025 tournament, it continued to demonstrate the same general scoring pattern: his most important attacking contribution came through the middle, supported by blocking points.

His continued national-team involvement also allowed him to compete internationally while maintaining his professional club career in Poland.

Playing Style & Strengths

Gyimah is an athletic middle blocker whose primary strengths are his attacking contact height, jumping ability and capacity to finish quick sets at the net.

At 200 cm, he is not exceptionally tall compared with some international middle blockers. However, his vertical leap helps compensate for that difference.

His official spike-reach listing of 380 cm places his attacking contact point well above the net, making him difficult to defend when the setter delivers the ball at the correct speed and location.

Quick Attacking and Offensive Efficiency

His attacking efficiency was already a defining characteristic during his UCLA career.

In 2018, he led the NCAA with a .528 hitting percentage, and he maintained similarly strong results during the following two seasons.

The quality of his attacking came from more than jumping height. Middle blockers depend on precise approach timing, coordination with the setter and the ability to adjust to the opposing block.

Gyimah showed that he could score effectively from fast attacks through the middle, where the ball reaches the attacker before the opposing defense has time to organize fully.

He also demonstrated an ability to attack from different positions during his 2019 UCLA season, when the coaching staff used him at outside hitter and opposite.

That flexibility did not change his primary role, but it illustrated a broader attacking skill set than the one normally expected from a conventional middle blocker.

Blocking and Defensive Responsibilities

Blocking is the second major component of Gyimah’s game.

His responsibilities include reading the opposing setter, positioning himself against quick middle attacks and moving laterally to assist his outside blockers.

The value of a middle blocker cannot be measured only by successful block points. Well-positioned hands may slow an attack, redirect the ball or force the hitter to choose a less effective shot.

Gyimah’s collegiate record provides evidence of his blocking contribution. He accumulated 431 total blocks during his UCLA career, placing him among the university’s historical leaders.

In the 2025 Volleyball Nations League, he recorded 16 direct block points for Canada.

His professional development has also required adapting to different offensive systems. The timing and speed of attacking combinations vary between NCAA volleyball, European club leagues and international tournaments.

Maintaining the correct relationship with the setter and adjacent blockers is therefore central to his effectiveness.

Athleticism and Physical Preparation

Gyimah has drawn considerable attention for his jumping ability.

In a June 2025 interview, he discussed a reported 390 cm jump achieved during his period in Finland. He also explained that training in kickboxing and Muay Thai had contributed to developing his explosiveness.

The reported jump should not be confused with a standardized official spike-reach measurement, but it helps explain why his physical ability has attracted interest beyond ordinary match statistics.

His style is most effective when explosive jumping is combined with controlled timing.

A high-contact middle attack depends on the player arriving at the correct position as the setter releases the ball. Jumping early or late can reduce the available attacking angles, regardless of the player’s physical ability.

Gyimah’s professional career has increasingly placed him against stronger blocking systems, making efficiency and decision-making as important as pure athleticism.

Major Achievements

Gyimah’s achievements span NCAA volleyball, professional club competitions and individual recognition.

His collegiate career produced three consecutive AVCA First-Team All-America selections, while his professional return brought national titles in Finland and Poland.

Selected Club Honors

Year / Season	Competition	Result
2018	NCAA Men’s Volleyball Championship	Runner-up — UCLA Bruins
2023–24	Finnish Mestaruusliiga	Champion — Hurrikaani Loimaa
2025–26	Polish SuperCup	Winner — BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
2025–26	Polish Cup	Winner — BOGDANKA LUK Lublin
2025–26	Polish PlusLiga	Runner-up — BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

The Finnish championship was particularly significant because it came during Gyimah’s first professional season after returning from his volleyball hiatus.

His Polish honors followed during his first season in PlusLiga, where he was part of a squad competing for domestic titles and participating in the CEV Champions League.

Selected Individual Awards

Year / Season	Competition	Award
2017	NCAA / MPSF	MPSF All-Freshman Team
2018	NCAA	AVCA First-Team All-American
2018	NCAA	Ryan Millar Award — Best Middle Attacker
2018	NCAA Championship	All-Tournament Team
2018	MPSF	First-Team All-MPSF
2019	NCAA	AVCA First-Team All-American
2019	NCAA	Ryan Millar Award — Best Middle Attacker
2019	NCAA	Dain Blanton Diversity Award
2019	NCAA / AVCA	National Player of the Week
2019	MPSF	First-Team All-MPSF
2020	NCAA	AVCA First-Team All-American
2020	NCAA	Ryan Millar Award — Best Middle Attacker
2020	MPSF	First-Team All-MPSF

Among these distinctions, the three consecutive AVCA First-Team All-America selections stand out as one of the strongest measures of his collegiate career.

UCLA Career Records

Statistic	Career Total / Achievement
Career Hitting Percentage	.483
Total Blocks	431
Service Aces	96
AVCA First-Team All-America Selections	3
NCAA Championship Final Appearances	1 (2018)

These figures were recorded at the conclusion of his UCLA career in 2020.

Personal Life & Family

Gyimah was raised in Scarborough, Toronto, in a household with strong connections to both Ghanaian and Canadian family backgrounds.

His father, Alexander, is of Ghanaian heritage, while his mother, Deborah, has Polish ancestry. In interviews about his music, Gyimah has discussed how growing up around different cultural influences shaped his perspective.

His older sister, Aja, played an important role in introducing him to volleyball. Watching her participate in the sport encouraged him to begin playing during his school years.

He later attended UCLA, where he combined competitive volleyball with university studies and the early development of his recording career.

Gyimah has remained connected to Toronto despite spending significant periods abroad for both music and volleyball.

His professional career has taken him to Finland, France and Poland, while his music has connected him with artists and producers in Canada and the United States.

Off the Court: Music Career as Kofi

Gyimah is also a professional recording artist who performs under the name Kofi.

His musical career developed alongside his years at UCLA, where he began releasing material independently and working with other artists in Toronto’s hip-hop scene.

He plays several instruments, including piano, guitar and djembe, and has experience in songwriting, production and audio engineering.

His early releases included songs such as “Came Up” and “Wake Up,” which helped attract attention from the music industry.

In March 2020, he signed with Red Bull Records, a label that supported his ambition to work professionally in music while maintaining the possibility of returning to competitive volleyball.

He subsequently released projects including Story of My Life, Why Not? and Pettyboy.

His music incorporates elements of hip-hop, R&B and other styles influenced by his Toronto upbringing.

In an interview with Music Connection, Gyimah described the discussions that preceded his Red Bull Records deal, including the practical difficulty of balancing music commitments with elite volleyball.

That conflict became an important career decision after his university years, when he temporarily stepped away from professional volleyball opportunities to concentrate on recording.

He eventually returned to the sport while continuing to produce music.

In a 2025 interview with Le Journal de Montréal, Gyimah discussed the demands of pursuing international careers in two different fields. He described music as a longstanding part of his life rather than simply a hobby developed during time away from volleyball.

His music career has also given him a public identity beyond the volleyball community. Red Bull Records has described him as an artist, athlete, producer and multi-instrumentalist, reflecting the different professional roles he has maintained.

The combination is relatively unusual in international volleyball, where the training, travel and recovery demands of professional competition can make a second career difficult to sustain.

For Gyimah, the two careers have not always progressed at the same pace. His music commitments contributed to his extended volleyball break, while his return to professional volleyball required him to adapt his working schedule and creative process.

His public Instagram account, @jmgkofi, reflects this dual identity.

Where Is Daenan Gyimah Playing Now?

Daenan Gyimah plays for BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in Poland’s PlusLiga during the 2026–27 season.

He initially signed with the club in June 2025 after spending the previous season with Arago de Sète in France.

In December 2025, Lublin announced that Gyimah would continue with the team for another season, extending his stay through 2026–27.

The Polish league’s official roster lists him as a middle blocker wearing jersey number 16, a change from the number 1 he wore during 2025–26.

He remains part of a club competing in one of Europe’s strongest domestic leagues, with a squad that includes experienced international players and established Polish league performers.

Gyimah also continued representing Canada in the 2026 Volleyball Nations League.

His immediate professional focus is maintaining a place in Lublin’s middle-blocker rotation while contributing to the team’s attacking and defensive systems.

Recent Performance Snapshot

Gyimah’s recent results provide a useful comparison between his international contribution for Canada and his first season in Poland.

2025 Volleyball Nations League — Canada

Statistic	Result
Matches Played	9
Total Points	60
Attack Points	40
Block Points	16
Service Aces	4

Gyimah’s 16 block points were an important part of his production. They accounted for more than one-quarter of his total points in the competition.

2025–26 Polish PlusLiga — BOGDANKA LUK Lublin

Statistic	Result
Matches Recorded	23
Total Points	74
Attack Points	44
Block Points	25
Service Aces	5

These figures come from the Polish league’s season record and include the matches recorded for Gyimah in the 2025–26 competition.

They reflect his role within Lublin’s middle-blocker rotation rather than the workload of a full-time primary attacker.

2026 Volleyball Nations League — Canada

Statistic	Result
Matches Recorded	2
Total Points	16
Attack Points	12
Block Points	4
Service Aces	0

The 2026 statistics cover his recorded appearances against Japan and Cuba, not Canada’s entire VNL campaign.

Frequently Asked Questions

How old is Daenan Gyimah?

Daenan Gyimah was born on 16 January 1998. He is 28 years old as of October 2026.

How tall is Daenan Gyimah?

Gyimah is listed at 200 cm (6 ft 7 in) by Volleyball World and Volleyball Canada. Some older sources list him at approximately 203 cm.

What position does Daenan Gyimah play?

He is a middle blocker. His main responsibilities include quick attacks, organizing the block and defending the net against opposing attackers.

Which club does Daenan Gyimah play for?

He plays for BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in Poland’s PlusLiga and is included in the club’s 2026–27 roster.

What jersey number does Daenan Gyimah wear?

He wears number 16 for BOGDANKA LUK Lublin in 2026–27. He previously wore number 1 during the 2025–26 season.

Is Daenan Gyimah also a musician?

Yes. He performs under the name Kofi and has worked as a singer, rapper, songwriter and producer. He signed with Red Bull Records in 2020 and has released music while maintaining his volleyball career.

About Daenan Gyimah