Sophomore Malik Ghiden was named Co-Mariner of the Month for January. The guard forward for the Men's Basketball team had a career best month averaging 11.7 points per game in nine contests. He topped twenty points three times during January and led the Mariners to a 5-4 record during the month.
Ghiden and the Mariners endured a slow start to the month as he averaged just seven points over the first three games while the team went 1-2. Ghiden awoke in Marin's 98-84 loss at Solano as led the Mariners with 20 points on 8-12 shooting. He added three rebounds and a steal in the road defeat, but it was just the beginning of an excellent month.
He averaged just six points over the following three games, but Ghiden put together back to back great performances in Marin's wins over Napa and Contra Costa at the end of January.
On January 29th against Napa, Ghiden hit an acrobatic layup in traffic to put Marin head for good 75-73 with under a minute. Marin went on to win the game 77-73 and Ghiden's layup was merely the cherry on top of an excellent showing. The sophomore scored 22 points on 9 of 13 shooting with three rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals as well.
He followed a few days later with 24 points against Contra Costa in Marin's 74-67 victory at home on the final day of January. Ghiden led all scorers in the game and filled up the stat sheet with three rebounds, an assist, two steals and a block. The win capped a 5-4 month and stretch of four wins in five games for the Mariners.
Thus far in his sophomore year, Ghiden has increased his scoring by more than two points per game and improved his shooting by a large margin over his freshman year percentages.
The athletic sophomore has been key to Marin's success in the 2019-2020 season and looks to close out his career in black and gold with a strong finish.