Oct. 12, 2006

A failed "co-coach" experiment and controversial departure with his longtime school district will not stop the nation's all-time winningest high school boys' lacrosse coach from seeking another milestone elsewhere. Former Ward Melville (N.Y.) High School coach Joe Cuozzo, who left there this fall with an astounding 699-73 record, has been hired by Suffolk County neighbor Mount Sinai to coach its team in the spring.

Scott Reh, the Mount Sinai athletic director and a former Adelphi lacrosse player, said last week that the school had agreed to terms with the former Ward Melville coach, which Cuozzo confirmed Thursday. "We're really excited about it," Reh said. "He's a class act who has acumen in his networking with colleges."

Lacrosse Magazine Online first reported Cuozzo's interest in the position Sept. 25, as a follow-up to a feature in the August/September issue of the print publication.

"I'm heading over there right now for a meeting with [Reh]," Cuozzo said Thursday. "It's a good thing. I'm happy about it."

Though Mount Sinai is a Division II school, it sent perhaps its highest profile player, Chris Ritchie, to an NCAA Division I men's lacrosse program at Cornell. He's a freshman there this fall. The lack of depth, Cuozzo said, is his biggest concern.

"The players are not going to be like they are at Melville," he said, "when you have 46 guys on the sideline."

Still, Cuozzo has a team of his own, again -- and win No. 700 looms.

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Click here to read LMO's original report on the Cuozzo situation. Click here to read the original "Q&A," as it appeared in the August/September issue of Lacrosse magazine. Click here to become a member of US Lacrosse, and to receive a complimentary subscription.