A few weeks ago when the Northwestern girls basketball team took on Salisbury in a key Colonial League clash with postseason seeding and a first-round home game on the line, the Lady Tigers trailed 21-16 at intermission.

Heading into the locker room head coach Chris Deutsch sought some advice from his assistant coaches shortly after the whistle sounded.

“We came into the locker room at halftime,” said Deutsch. “And before I talked to the kids I got all of the coaches together and asked ‘What do you think?’…We used what both of them [assistant coaches Craig Mogel and Bob Mazziotta] said,” said Deutsch.

The adjustments and words of advice paid off. Northwestern quickly rallied in the third quarter to regain a six-point lead heading into the fourth. The Lady Tigers clinched a home game with a 51-46 victory in overtime.

Being able to receive suggestions and guidance from assistant coaches isn’t a rare thing for head coaches today. But when those two assistants are former head coaches themselves with dozens of years of experience, it makes Deutsch’s job much easier. It’s a rarity that has benefited Deutsch over the years.

“It makes life a lot easier because they’ve been there, done that,” Deutsch said. “When you have a lot of years of experience, they know what it’s like to be a head coach. You really value their input when they have something to say because they know what it’s about.”

Prior to coming back to Northwestern, Mogel spent seven years as the head coach at Saucon Valley. His last season was in 2013. Before that he spent plenty of time at Northampton and was the head coach in 2014, while also spending a number of years coaching in the Philadelphia area.

Mazziotta, who has over 35 years of coaching experience himself, was most recently a head coach at Salisbury for three years. He also had six-year stints with the Northwestern girls and Notre Dame (Green Pond) boys in the 80s and early 90s, and was the lead man at Lehigh Carbon Community College from 1997 until 2005.

Mazziotta is now in his fourth season under Deutsch. This is Mogel’s fourth year, too, but his second straight after serving as an assistant in the past.

“Some people would not hire varsity coaches to surround them because they wouldn’t be confident in their own skin,” Deutsch said. “But I’m not afraid about that. If someone knows more about basketball than I do, that does not intimidate me or scare me. It’s what’s best for the girls.”

Deutsch is now nearing the end of season No. 13 in charge of the Northwestern girls. And the success has been plenty. He recently notched win No. 200 with the Lady Tigers. But despite all of the victories and championships, he’s quick to point out his assistants.

“I always say, to be a head coach you need to surround yourself with the best assistant coaches you can,” Deutsch said. “I think a lot of the success we’ve had at Northwestern all of these years, a lot of it goes to our players, but also our assistant coaches.

“I asked them for an opportunity because I really thought they could help us out,” Deutsch said. “I’m glad that I asked both coaches because they both have been a big help to the program.”

The accolades are one thing, but one area that Deutsch has benefited the most is his confidence with so much talent surrounding him on the bench. And he has to be, because he wants his staff to speak up if they have a different opinion on a certain play, a defensive scheme, or whatever the case may be.

“When you have people surrounding you that you believe in and trust, it gives you more confidence knowing that if you’re not doing something right, they’ll tell you about it,” Deutsch said. “As a coach, we always second guess what we want to do. But that’s the one thing, these guys I always say to them, ‘Let me know what you think.’”

His trust in the two, along with assistant Derrick Reinert, is evident as well. All have their own designated duties during practices and are in charge of the scouting reports, among other duties.

“I can trust one of them if something would come up and they need to take over and run stuff for me,” Deutsch said. “They can take care of it; I don’t have to worry about it. They know what is expected.”

And they all know their roles-when to lend a few words and when to take the backseat. It’s what has made this group so successful in recent years.

“It’s just about being comfortable with them,” Deutsch said. “They know when to say something and when to not.”

Much like has been the case in recent years, Northwestern is peaking at the right time as the postseason approaches. Despite losing one of Deutsch’s most talented senior classes since joining the program, the Lady Tigers are right in the thick of things in the competitive Colonial League.

The coaching staff now hopes that the camaraderie they’ve built over the years pays off even more, possibly with a chance at another Colonial League championship or a deep run in the district tournament.