Early this season, the Saint Louis University basketball team discovered a diamond in the rough.

Sophomore swingman Chris Sloan has demonstrated his versatility and high skill level after moving from the guard position to power forward.

But the mere ability to make the shift in position isn’t what makes Sloan one of the most dazzling players on the Billiken roster.

When the Billikens moved Sloan to the inside, they found a dynamic and versatile forward who has ignited the Billikens and exceeded the expectations of his coaches with great speed and finesse.

As a freshman, Sloan played mostly on the perimeter as a guard. But since the beginning of this season he has adopted the position of power forward.

“We were really thin this year with four guys in (the forward position), and if one got hurt or into foul trouble, we’d need someone,” said coach Lorenzo Romar.

“Chris had never played that position, and it was not our intent early for him to be starting, just for him to learn the position. Chris was and is our best defender,” Romar said.

“Once we put him at forward, we noticed we were quicker at the position and we were skilled at the position. He’s a versatile four-man and is able to move his feet on the perimeter and be physical enough,” Romar added.

Sloan said, “What makes me different from everyone else on the team is my versatility. I’m big enough to play down on the inside, and I’m skilled enough to play on the perimeter. I can do both to help the team when we need it.”

Sloan is taking on the role of filling the large shoes of Matt Baniak, Chris Heinrich and Justin Tatum as a leading rebounder, as well as adding depth to the inside of the Billiken lineup.

“I’ve got to be more of a rebounder and have a defensive presence. I’ll also have to make the offense run and set a lot of screens. I won’t handle the ball as much. It will be a different role offensively,” Sloan said.

“(Sloan) is not going to be our go-to guy. We’re not going to give him the ball to score, but eventually he will learn his position better and begin to score more,” Romar said.

Last year, Sloan was an immediate contributor as a guard, starting 16 out of 29 games and scoring a season-high six points in two games, against Texas A&M and SMS. Sloan grabbed a season-high four boards at SIUC and finished the season with 41 rebounds.

“Playing guard, I was one of the bigger guys playing against a lot of smaller guys,” Sloan said. “Now I have to use my body more and play against bigger, strong guys.”

Romar said, Sloan has already exceeded expectations and will be an integral factor in SLU’s success in Conference USA this season.

“The number one thing I saw was that Chris gave us energy. He can guard anywhere on the floor, and in Conference USA, you need quickness in that position,” Romar said.

“Chris hasn’t been a high scorer, but he has great versatility in offense and in handling the ball. We thought we needed him for depth, and he just got better,” Romar said.

Since he first took over the position at the beginning of the season, Sloan has stepped up and filled the shoes of his predecessors with flair and athleticism, despite missing crucial practice time over the summer while having shoulder surgery.

“I had shoulder surgery this summer and didn’t play for three months. At practice I was out of shape. I had to start behind physically and catch up,” Sloan said. “My shoulder is strong enough and my conditioning is back where it used to be.”

In an impressive performance at Cal, Sloan pulled down five rebounds in 12 minutes. Against Denver, Sloan had a similar performance, grabbing five rebounds in 15 minutes and shooting 3 of 3 from the field.

When the Bills hosted Furman, he notched seven rebounds and drained 11 points in his 24 minutes of playing time. Sloan has shot nearly 60 percent over the last seven games.

With Sloan settled in at forward, Drew Diener and Jason Edwin are filling the guard position.

“We only have 10 scholarship players, and we can have up to 13, so we’re already undermanned. Everyone tries to play more minutes, and my moving opens up more time on the perimeter for Diener and Edwin,” Sloan said.

Sloan has provided a spark in the Billiken lineup, that continues to ignite the team.

“We told the team that if everyone plays with as much passion as Chris does, we wouldn’t lose much,” Romar said. “He’s a model for us on how to compete.”