What do you think?
Rate this book
The Ward Melville Diary: 2005-2006
Book by Cuozzo, Joe
130 pages, Paperback
First published December 22, 2009
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 30, 2026
The Ward Melville Diary is a great look inside the mind of one of the greatest coaches to ever lead a lacrosse program.
What makes this book so valuable is the honesty. These are the unfiltered thoughts of Coach Joe Cuozzo as he navigates the final years of one of the most dominant public high school lacrosse programs the game has ever seen. You get a real look at the preparation, expectations, pressure, mistakes, adjustments, and constant pursuit of getting better that goes into sustaining a program at that level.
I personally took a lot away from this book, and I hope other coaches do the same. There are lessons here about building a culture, managing players, handling adversity, and continuing to evolve as a coach. After all, some of the best ideas in lacrosse are borrowed from someone else. The smart coaches are willing to learn, adapt, and steal from the best.
I’ll admit, I didn’t like the way they showed Coach Cuozzo the door at the end. After everything he accomplished and the program he built, it was a tough way for his tenure to end. But maybe that is one of the most important lessons in the book. In today’s coaching world, no one is completely safe, regardless of their resume, accomplishments, or what they have built before. The game keeps moving, expectations change, and coaches have to continue to earn their place every day.
A great read for any coach who cares about building something bigger than just a team, and wants to learn from someone who did it at the highest level.
What makes this book so valuable is the honesty. These are the unfiltered thoughts of Coach Joe Cuozzo as he navigates the final years of one of the most dominant public high school lacrosse programs the game has ever seen. You get a real look at the preparation, expectations, pressure, mistakes, adjustments, and constant pursuit of getting better that goes into sustaining a program at that level.
I personally took a lot away from this book, and I hope other coaches do the same. There are lessons here about building a culture, managing players, handling adversity, and continuing to evolve as a coach. After all, some of the best ideas in lacrosse are borrowed from someone else. The smart coaches are willing to learn, adapt, and steal from the best.
I’ll admit, I didn’t like the way they showed Coach Cuozzo the door at the end. After everything he accomplished and the program he built, it was a tough way for his tenure to end. But maybe that is one of the most important lessons in the book. In today’s coaching world, no one is completely safe, regardless of their resume, accomplishments, or what they have built before. The game keeps moving, expectations change, and coaches have to continue to earn their place every day.
A great read for any coach who cares about building something bigger than just a team, and wants to learn from someone who did it at the highest level.
Displaying 1 of 1 review