Jim Larrañaga was a hall-of-fame coaching legend before he took the Miami Hurricanes to the Final Four in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament (AKA March Madness) in 2023. We're here to report that he's now achieved statue-in-front-of-the-arena status. Going 29-8 and winning the ACC are commendable feats for anyone who aspires to the honor of being chosen Miami New Times' "Best Coach," but making those accomplishments a jumping-off point for a Final Four run ends the discussion. It isn't just the Xs and Os that make Larrañaga a great coach; it's his direct impact on the players in the Hurricanes' locker room. His presence alone causes each player to achieve their best. From TikTok dances after wins to pep talks after losses, it's tough to envision a coach better suited to lead young men.

Punters have a lousy marketing team. Most people associate punters with failure, but it's not their fault that their appearance in a game is the result of failures by their team's offense. In reality, they're a key piece of the 3D chess puzzle transpiring between the sidelines. For the Miami Hurricanes, punter Lou Hedley has been a secret weapon for years — and one they'll likely miss as he moves on to the NFL next season. Hedley averaged a brow-raising 45.3 yards per punt for the 'Canes last season, making him a semifinalist for a Ray Guy Award and the William V. Campbell Trophy for scholar-athletes. If that wasn't enough, Hedley is 29 years old. He earned his master's degree, then forfeited a year of eligibility to declare for the draft — a trajectory almost unheard of for a punter. Oh, and he's tattooed from head to toe and hails from Mandurrah, a town on the western coast of Australia. Hedley wasn't selected in April's NFL Draft, but the New Orleans Saints snagged him as an undrafted free agent.

After helping to advance University of Miami to the NCAA Final Four for the first time in the school's history, it seems only fair that star 6-foot-4 guard Isaiah Wong would be named not just the ACC Men's Basketball Player of the Year but also, ahem, New Times' Best College Basketball Player of 2023. It was a tough choice — all of the 'Canes men's hoopsters shone. But Wong shone a little brighter, averaging 15.9 points, 3.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Then he announced that he was forgoing his remaining year of college eligibility to enter the 2023 NBA Draft, scheduled for... today, June 22, the day this issue hits the streets!

Some people make a room better simply by being in it, and former Miami Dolphins linebacker and current host of WQAM's afternoon drive show Channing Crowder is one of those people. Anyone familiar with Crowder prior to his post-playing career could have told you his personality would be a perfect fit for the mic. That said, his longtime success alongside fellow WQAM co-host Marc Hochman locally, and his national show, The Pivot, has exceeded even those expectations. Crowder has been a voice in the Miami sports scene since his playing days dating back to 2005, but judging by his success as a radio host, we might actually be seeing — er, hearing — the beginning of a long career.

There are few constants in Miami journalism, but for 25 years, there has been at least one: Miami Herald sportswriter Michelle Kaufman, who has covered 14 Olympics, six World Cups, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open, NCAA basketball tournaments, NBA playoffs, and Super Bowls for the city's paper of record. University of Miami (UM) basketball and soccer are her beats, but Kaufman regularly colors outside those lines — profiling emerging tennis stars, breaking news on social media, teaching the next generation of sportswriters in a UM classroom, and offering unflinching takes in her weekly column, misogynistic Twitter trolls be damned.

It has been less than five years since the first skatepark opened in Miami and the internationally sought-after skate brand Andrew launched downtown. The recent opening of aptly named SkateBird Miami in the sleepy bird sanctuary of El Portal further matures the region's skate culture with a covered, 12,000-square-foot skate plaza, an 18,000-square-foot outdoor pumptrack, and a skate shop that offers merch, decks, and parts. Daily skateboard classes are provided for the uninitiated (5 years old and up).

Don't bother racing through rush-hour traffic to nab the mirror-adjacent treadmill at the gym. Instead, take the scenic 1.1-mile jog around the perimeter of Brickell Key with views of the Miami skyline and Biscayne Bay. You'll pass the glitz of the Mandarin Oriental's La Mar outdoor seating area, the greenery of Brickell Key Park, and the 21-foot-tall El Centinala del Rio statue of a Tequesta Indian blowing into a conch shell. It's a popular spot for the stroller and dog-walking crowds, but pick up your pace for a calorie-busting challenge.

Just north of Crandon Park is a network of short and sweet seaside trails hidden from the whizzing lanes of traffic that connect Key Biscayne to the mainland. The Osprey Beach Trail meanders for a little more than a mile along the sandy dunes. The SPF-conscious will appreciate Bear Cut Nature Trail, which offers ample shade under the dense sea grape and mangrove trees. (Just watch out for mosquitos in the summer.) Don't miss the Fossil Reef Bike Trail, which leads down a boardwalk to reveal a fossilized mangrove reef forest and a postcard-worthy image of the Miami skyline.

Running the entire waterfront length of the beachfront from South Pointe Park to 87th Terrace at the tippy-top of the Miami Beach city limits, a seven-mile Beachwalk path boasts scenic views of the ocean, sand, whimsical lifeguard stands, and the tanned and sweaty cast of locals and tourists. Bonus: There are plenty of water fountains, public restrooms, and benches along the way. If you get too hot, take a shower or a dip in the beckoning, briny sea.

The Commodore Trail offers cyclists, from casual riders to professionals, five miles of lush vegetation and waterfront views through Coconut Grove and Coral Gables. The trail begins at Alice Wainright Park on S. Miami Avenue near the mouth of the Rickenbacker Causeway and ends at the Cocoplum roundabout at Old Cutler Road. Along the trail are numerous points of interest for bike riders, including public parks (Kennedy and Peacock), historic landmarks (Vizcaya Museum & Gardens, the Barnacle Historic State Park, the Kampong), and Coconut Grove shops offering coffee, snacks, and other energizing treats.