58 June 18–24, 2026 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com NEW TIMES June 18–24, 2026 miaminewtimes.com MIAMI NEW TIMES BEST ºf MIAMI ® 2026 BEST COACH Jai Lucas instagram.com/jai.luc It’s no exaggeration to say head coach Jai Lu- cas’ debut season (2025/2026) helped the University of Miami men’s basketball pro- gram accomplish a complete 180-degree turnaround. The team finished with a dismal 7-24 record the year before Lucas’ arrival, and his strategy saw them improve to 26-9. The U finished third in the ACC this season and made an appearance in the NCAA Tourna- ment (where they made it to the round of 32). Before coming to Miami, the Houston native played on the collegiate level for in-state rival Florida Gators and the University of Texas. His professional career saw him fill a few as- sistant-coaching roles before nabbing his first head-coaching position in Miami. The team averaged 81.9 points per game under Lucas’ leadership, up from 74 the previous season. BEST COLLEGE BASKETBALL PLAYER Malik Reneau instagram.com/malikreneau The University of Miami men’s basketball team’s remarkable turnaround these past two seasons was in large part thanks to sensa- tional senior transfer Malik Reneau. The 6’9” forward took his talents to South Beach from the University of Indiana to play his senior season. With a career-high points-per-game average of 18.9, Reneau was Miami’s highest scorer last season. He was also second in re- bounding with 6.5 a game, and tied for third in assists. BEST COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYER Malachi Toney instagram.com/malitoney10 Malachi Toney emerged as a defining force in Miami’s 2025 postseason run, delivering high-stakes plays that helped propel the Hurricanes to the national championship game. In the team’s first playoff game against Texas A&M, the freshman wide re- ceiver shook off an earlier costly fumble against the Aggies to score the decisive touchdown, underscoring a resilience that quickly made him one of the team’s most re- liable playmakers under pressure. Toney was also a key reason the Hurricanes beat the Ole Miss Rebels in the football semi-final after he notched 81 receiving yards and a clutch fourth-quarter touchdown to secure a 31-27 victory. Toney was also a star in the national championship game against the In- diana Hoosiers, scoring a late, fourth-quar- ter touchdown that kept the score close until the final seconds. At 5-foot-11, Toney blends agility and power in ways that consistently disrupt defenses, slipping past defenders in tight coverage and finishing runs through contact. As he enters his sophomore season, his connection with new quarterback Dar- ian Mensah, a Duke transfer known for stretching the field, positions Toney to re- main at the center of Miami’s most explo- sive offensive moments. BEST FLORIDA PANTHERS PLAYER Brad Marchand nhl.com/panthers Brad Marchand becoming a Florida Panther was the sort of plot twist that made the hockey world spit out its cafecito — and we love him for that. For years, he was the dude South Florida fans loved to full-volume boo. He was chirpy, pesky, skilled, relentless and always lurking exactly where opponents least wanted him. Then he put on the red, gold and navy, and suddenly the rat fit perfectly with the rats. Marchand brought a veteran bite to a Panthers team already loaded with pressure, swagger and postseason nerve. He arrived with a Stanley Cup ring, four All-Star nods and a reputation as one of the NHL’s great playoff agitators, then gave Florida another player capable of tilting a series with a goal, a hit, a smirk or a perfectly timed bit of non- sense. Some players join a team. Marchand immediately became woven into Panthers culture, and he ain’t going anywhere. We love you, Marchy. BEST MIAMI DOLPHINS PLAYER Aaron Brewer instagram.com/bigtime_ab It was another bummer year for our Miami Dolphins, but center Aaron Brewer kept his head down and fought in the trenches like each play was a matter of life or death. The man who starts each offensive possession with the ball in his hands made sure his quarterback stayed upright (whether it was Tua Tagovailoa or Quinn Ewers), allowing only one sack in 16 games, ty- ing an NFL record for center position. Brewer truly excelled in blocking for the run- ning game, creating huge holes for running back De’Von Achane to jog towards the end zone. The national media noted Brewer’s outstanding work, naming him second-team All Pro and a finalist for the Protector of the Year Award. Hopefully, un- der new management, the 300-pound offen- sive lineman can continue his inspired play that would make Dan Marino, Larry Csonka and Ace Ventura proud. BEST MIAMI HEAT PLAYER Jaime Jaquez Jr. instagram.com/trippplej The man affectionately nicknamed “Juan Wick” (due to his resemblance to Keanu Reeves) followed the path of many movie se- quels. After a spectacular debut that had the Miami Heat swingman named to the NBA All-Rookie Team, he suffered a sophomore slump. Thankfully, his third season showed there was still plenty of basketball left to be chronicled in the adventures of Jaime Jaquez Jr. Coming off the bench, Jacquez was a sparkplug of en- ergy and a key reason the Heat were the second-highest scoring team in the NBA. It’s like there’s no defense equipped to stop the plot of his personal movie. Jaquez was one of three nominees for the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year Award for the energy and efficiency he brought to the court. With his exquisite footwork and post moves, Jaquez has a game that should age gracefully, ensuring many more chapters to the Juan Wick franchise. BEST SPORTING EVENT National College Football Championship (Miami vs. Indiana) On Jan. 19, 2026, Hard Rock Stadium hosted something beyond a College Foot- ball Playoff National Championship. Miami, the No. 10 seed and one of the last squads selected for the expanded bracket, clawed its way to the title game with three consecu- tive road wins before landing the champi- onship in familiar territory. Their opponent? The undefeated, No. 1-ranked Indiana Hoosiers — a team that was already a story for the ages. Indiana’s program spent decades as college football’s all-time worst team at the Division I level. That night, they were one win away from complet- ing one of the most re- markable turnarounds the sport has ever seen. Indiana’s fan turnout com- peted with that of Miami’s, with watch parties taking over every corner of South Florida. The Hoo- siers prevailed and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, a Miami native and Cuban- American who had never been recruited by the Hurricanes, won a na- tional championship in his hometown against the program that passed on him. The ‘Canes may not have hoisted the tro- phy, but the championship gave this city a postseason run it won’t soon forget. It was a uniquely Miami story and a night at Hard Rock Stadium that felt, for a few electric hours, like the center of the college football universe. BEST SPORTS REPORTER Ira Winderman sun-sentinel.com/author/ira-winderman It is undoubtedly a remarkable feat that Ira Winderman has covered the Miami Heat for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel since the NBA team’s inception back in 1988. Even more remarkable is that, for at least the last 20 years, Winderman has put out an Ask Ira column on the Sun-Sentinel website each and every day. The conceit is pretty simple. Readers and Heat fans ask Ira three daily questions about their favorite sports team, and Winderman answers them with all the breadth of his exper- tise. There are two incredible things at work. First, that basketball fans never run out of questions to ask Ira, and second, that he always has something interesting and in- sightful to say, whether on Coach Erik Spoelstra’s substitution patterns, President Pat Riley’s free agency strategy or Tyler Herro’s fashion choices. BEST TEAM OWNER Jorge Mas Billionaire businessman Jorge Mas has an ap- proach to sports team management that mir- rors life in Miami: Bold, expensive and impossible to ignore. Under his watch, Inter Miami went from an ambitious expansion project to a global soccer brand, powered by the arrival of Lionel Messi and a front-office that treated Miami like a world stage instead of a sleepy outpost. Mas also gets points for understanding the city’s Latino diaspora and dynamics. He has tied the club’s future to a permanent home, the recently opened 21,500-seat Chase Stadium that anchors Mi- ami Freedom Park. The ambitious mixed-use project will feature an eco-tourism adventure park, a miniature golf entertainment center, offices, a hotel and retail. That matters in a town where fans tend to reward ambition only when it produces something tangible. Inter Miami winning its first MLS champion- ship last year gave Mas even more cache in a city where other sports teams have notched world titles. The combination of splash, strat- egy and a title gives Mas the edge over other local sports franchise owners. BEST BEACH (BROWARD) Dania Beach Known for its iconic pier that stretches out into the Atlantic and its backdrop of lush mangroves and rolling sand dunes, Dania Beach feels worlds away from the South Flor- ida urban sprawl. It is the perfect escape for locals looking for a reprieve from the hustle head down and fought in the trenches like each play was a matter of life or death. The man who starts worst team at the Division I level. That night, they were one win away from complet- ing one of the most re- markable turnarounds the sport has ever fan turnout com- peted with that of Miami’s, with taking over every for the South Florida Sun-Sentinel since the NBA team’s inception back in 1988. Even more remarkable is that, for at least the last 20 years, Winderman has put out an Ask Ira column on the Sun-Sentinel website each and every day. The Spºrts & Recreatiºn
