52 June 23-28, 2023 miaminewtimes.com | browardpalmbeach.com New Times b e s T o f m i a m i ® 2 0 2 3 Marathon Community Park 200 OCEAN, 36TH ST, MARATHON Amateur BBQ Cooking Competition craft BEER BBQ MUSIC JULY 14 & 15, 2023 FESTIVAL B E S T CO L L E G E BA S K E T BA L L P L AY E R Isaiah Wong University of Miami miamihurricanes.com/roster/isaiah-wong @zaywong21 (Instagram) 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 Col- lege Basketball Player of 2023. It was a tough choice — all of the ’Canes men’s hoopsters shone. But Wong shone a little brighter, aver- aging 15.9 points, 3.4 assists, and 4.3 rebounds per game. Then he announced that he was for- going his remaining year of college eligibility to enter the 2023 NBA Draft, scheduled for... today, June 22, the day this issue hits the streets! B E S T S P O R T S R A D I O P E R S O N A L I T Y Channing Crowder WQAM-AM (560) audacy.com/stations/wqam Some people make a room better simply by be- ing in it, and former Miami Dolphins line- backer 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 fel- low 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 play- ing 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. B E S T S P O R T S R E P O R T E R Michelle Kaufman Miami Herald miamiherald.com @kaufsports (Twitter) 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 soc- cer are her beats, but Kaufman regularly col- ors 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. B E S T S K AT E PA R K SkateBird Miami 533 NE 83rd Street El Portal, 33138 305-603-8015 skatebirdmiami.com It has been less than five years since the first skatepark opened in Miami and the interna- tionally 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). B E S T J O G Brickell Key Drive Miami, 33131 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 Cen- tinala 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 chal- lenge. B E S T T R A I L Bear Cut Preserve 6767 Crandon Boulevard Key Biscayne, 33149 fl oridahikes.com/bearcut Just north of Crandon Park is a network of short and sweet seaside trails hidden from the whizzing lanes of traffic that connect Key Bis- cayne 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 mos- quitos in the summer.) Don’t miss the Fossil Reef Bike Trail, which leads down a board- walk to reveal a fossilized mangrove reef forest and a postcard-worthy image of the Miami skyline. Sports & Recreation
