It might even be at the bottom when that player is apt to re-enter a game at his own discretion as Yuri Collins has done for St. Louis men's basketball.

But recent injuries and illnesses have led to a series of moves at the position and some possible options for the remainder of the season. After missing the last game with an illness, Collins made the trip for Wednesday night’s game at Loyola Chicago, but the choices if he can’t play or needs more rest have expanded.

Fred Thatch Jr. served as the point guard backup until he was lost for the season with a torn ACL. With Collins out against George Washington last weekend, three players shared the role.

“I saw some things we might be able to do that we haven’t been doing,” coach Travis Ford said. “It might allow Yuri to get more rest now if we say we can hold down the fort a little bit.”

The progression through point guards has gone from Collins to Thatch to Larry Hughes Jr., to Javonte Perkins to Javon Pickett. Thatch’s absence forced more experimentation at GW, and for at least one game, it was a winning mix.

With the ball in their hands more, Perkins and Pickett combined for 51 points. Hughes started and was more involved in running the offense than looking for shots.

It was a completely different look than what the Billikens do with Collins. But they scored 81 points and shot 53%, so something went right.

“It was even interesting for me to watch it,” Ford said. “It was fun to see how they did it. I really thought all three did a good job in their own way. Javon just made it simple and got the ball where it needed to be. Larry was more focused on running plays. When Javonte had it, we were more or less trying to get into something for him.”

Ford said Collins participated in some elements of practice this week and is day-to-day. Pickett is also under close watch with a lower-body injury that has given him problems. Meanwhile, Kellen Thames remains out for “medical reasons.”

The ongoing list of ailments, while not debilitating for the Billikens, has left Ford and his staff to adjust on the fly without many who fit the point guard characteristics.

“We never had an absolute true backup point guard,” Ford said. “Fred was in that role and pretty established. Larry had done it a little, but we had moved him (off the ball) in the last month.”

There were obvious benefits to having Perkins at the point. Coming off of his ACL recovery, the sixth-year player has had trouble generating consistent offense. Notably, his ability to drive and score had been lacking.

But against George Washington, Perkins created numerous shots for himself and had his most productive offensive game of the season. Could that help him score more consistently for the remainder of the season?

“It’s hard to say in one game,” Ford said. “There are things we saw when he was in positions he hadn’t been put in that we liked. So, from that standpoint, it’s something we could continue to look at.”

If Collins can play and Hughes and Perkins are available, Pickett probably wouldn’t be needed in the point guard role. Ford said the Mizzou transfer has been battling an unidentified lower-body injury for most of the season and that he is “still not near 100%.”

The preference, of course, is to have Collins return. But there have been games this season when Ford has had other players start the offense even with Collins on the court. That gave him some possessions that he could catch his breath momentarily without leaving.

Ford probably likes the confusion, because it has helped him create a minor mystery for SLU’s first meeting with the Ramblers.

“It’s up in the air at this point,” he said about Collins. “It depends on how he feels.”