Convincing Zack Thornton to try out for the Olympic High School baseball team Monday required several pleas from his friends.

But what made the difference was a conversation on campus between his mother, Diane, and head coach Nate Andrews.

The two met at a Trojans girls basketball home game last month and Andrews sold the idea of her son hitting the diamond this spring, an effort made easier by the fact that the head coach works in the building.

“It’s awesome to have a coach out here that’s a teacher,” said Zack Thornton, a sophomore who added that his mother was convinced the second she spoke to Andrews. “It’s great because he can tell you if anything’s wrong and how to situate everything before the season starts up.”

When Andrews isn’t teaching English or working as the school’s athletic director, he’s looking for the next standout athlete on his baseball team, and he’s doing it all under one roof.

Andrews, who is currently entering his 11th season as head coach, has the luxury of recruiting athletes from the student body while he walks the sidelines and hallways. The longtime coach said last week that hiring someone who works in the same building has a positive impact on the program.

“There’s no question about it when certain programs need that presence,” said Andrews, who added that sports like basketball, football and volleyball are especially in need of in-building coaches. “You want every edge you can get and based on my experiences, you’re able to use that to your advantage.”

Olympic currently has 10 of 20 varsity head coaching positions filled by employees of the school. Andrews said the benefits of having a coach who works in the same facility include better communication with athletes and a stronger hold on behavioral issues if they arise.

“As both a coach and teacher, you can walk the hallways and see what your kids are up to,” he added. “You’re able to observe athletes in a student setting and at the same time, coaches can interact with teachers about issues with players in the same place.”

Zack Thornton agreed with Andrews’ stance, along with fellow sophomores Rob Howard and Brian Tyson, who each tried out for the team this week after being persuaded by the head coach.

They saw each other in the school hallways and Howard was convinced on the first try to come to an open gym, Howard said, who also plays football for the Trojans.

“Having him here as a coach and teacher gives me a lot more influence on playing and motivation,” Howard said.

Klahowya Secondary School senior wrestler Nehemiah Salo is on the outside looking in. Salo is home-schooled, so there is little chance he will pass his coaches in the hall between classes.

Salo played three seasons of football before breaking his arm last summer.

His former football coach, Lyle Prouse, worked outside of Klahowya and was unable to keep in touch with athletes on a consistent basis. The Eagles failed to win a game with Prouse at head coach.

In contrast, first-year wrestling head coach Jim Zimny was a success story this season, leading the Eagles to their second straight Olympic League title.

Unlike his predecessor, Wayne Gizzi, who was a teacher at Klahowya, Zimny does not work at the school.

At Klahowya, eight of 18 varsity high school head coaching positions are occupied by employees at the school, Athletic Director Todd Winters said.

“Our new football coach didn’t teach at the school, so a lot of guys who would have tried out for the team didn’t,” said Salo, who had the impression that coaches who are also teachers get a boost when it comes to turnout. “There are a lot of guys who don’t try out for teams because nobody asks them to do it, so having a coach there is one more voice, and coaches are more vocal than athletes.”

Dan Ericson, Prouse’s replacement, currently teaches fifth grade at Pine Crest Elementary School and is still awaiting word on whether he’ll work at Klahowya next fall.

Ericson, a former football assistant, also coached girls golf at Olympic for the last nine seasons and said he’s hoping to have dual responsibilities in one location.

“When you look at Klahowya struggling to get kids to come out, having a coach in the building will help that,” Ericson added. “If I can form a relationship with a student, he may want to come out for athletics. And if a student-athlete isn’t making good choices during the school day, you can meet with that teacher and support the kid as well.”

Ericson said Monday he’s not nervous about the possibility that he won’t teach at Klahowya in the next school year.

He’s used to leading a team having worked elsewhere, but Ericson can’t compare the responsibilities of golf to football.

“I think on a very small scale you can take some lessons from my past, but that’s about it,” he said.

Central Kitsap High School girls swim coach Kristi Balant has spent one year with the program, but works outside the school, and agrees that daily communication is affected by a lack of presence at the school. Central Kitsap has eight coaches in 18 programs who work at the school.

“I think I would have more constant interaction with my swimmers and it would allow us to build closer relationships,” said Balant, who meets with her swimmers on occasional lunch breaks during the season. “It helps break the ice so they’re not as intimidated by the coach when they’re on the deck of the pool.”

The issue of coaches teaching away from their teams arose last winter when Bremerton High School hired South Kitsap High School’s Darren Bowden to lead the Knights. He’s currently a social studies teacher at South Kitsap, and in his first season, led Bremerton to a 17-7 record. Bowden is one of seven out-of-building coaches at Bremerton from a pool of 21 positions.

Bremerton’s only paid assistant coach from the 2010 season, Phil Olwell, resigned last October when Bowden earned the job coming from a rival school.

Bowden said Wednesday that his first year at Bremerton was a smooth transition as Athletic Director George Duarte and other teachers at the school helped keep tabs on his players during class hours.

“The transition was a positive one,” he added. “Since Bremerton is so close to South Kitsap, and our schools get out at the same time, it was easy for me to travel the short distance. I thought it would be a challenge to deal with not being in the building, but it turned out great and there were no problems I couldn’t handle myself.”

While employment in the building plays a role in the hiring process, Andrews from Olympic also noted that it’s nearly impossible to fill every position with school employees.

Therefore, athletic directors often count on volunteers and community members to step forward and coach.

One problem that occurs for out-of-building coaches is scheduling conflicts and time management.

Most recently, Olympic wrestling head coach Steve Polillo resigned from the program after three seasons, citing that he didn’t have enough time to focus on his work and the sport on a full-time basis.

Ericson said times have changed for high school coaches who need more time than ever to lead their respective programs.

“Where I grew up, all the coaches were teachers at the school,” said Ericson, who grew up in Shelton. “But everything has been amped up now with expectations and time on and off the field with your athletes. I think it’s something that’s just become a part of our society now.”