T.J. Heatherington has welcomed his younger brother Robbie Heatherington, a freshman guard, to Point Park University’s men’s basketball team. The two of them have been playing together since they were 4 years old.The duo is expected to shine on the court this season as a “match made in heaven.”          Joel Cashatt, one of eight seniors on the team, is optimistic about their potential.          “They’ve played together all of their lives, they have a really great chemistry,” said Cashatt, a guard. “They’re already playing well together at the scrimmages. Robbie’s a great shooter and Tommy’s a play-maker…they mix very well together.”          “I like playing with him. We bicker, but overall I really like playing with him,” T.J. said.          T.J. and Robbie, both Pittsburgh natives, began their skill development early by watching their father while he coached the girl’s basketball team at Serra Catholic High School in McKeesport.          “We were always around it,” T.J., the sport, arts and entertainment major said.          Both boys attended Serra Catholic High School, a school with rigorous discipline.          “It was strict and the classes were kind of hard,” T.J. said. “I think it prepared me really well for college. My freshman year in college was easier than my [senior] year in … high school.”          Both T.J. and Robbie averaged 25 points per game at Serra Catholic. Though T.J. recalled keeping his cool during intense games, one referee got the best of him his senior year.          “It was the first game of the season,” T.J. said. “He called a charge on me and I disagreed with it. I swore and he T’d me up [charged him with a technical foul]. I swore again and he threw me out.”          T.J. soon began looking at several Division II schools near Pittsburgh. After seeing the Pioneers’ basketball program, T.J. quickly made his decision.          “I really liked [Point Park],” T.J. said. “They really played a fast-paced style of basketball and I think I play it, too. I like Downtown. I think it’s cool down here.”          Bob Rager, a 22-season head coach for the men’s basketball team, recruited T.J. as a point guard.          “Last year, he averaged 15 points for us and he did a great job,” Rager said. “This year I’m calling on him to not only score but to really set the offense and get other people involved.”          Cashatt, an economics and finance major, recognized T.J.’s improvement.          “He has definitely matured a lot; we’ve all matured,” Cashatt said. “He has matured physically; he’s stronger, he’s gotten better. He’s been working on his jump shot day-in and day-out. I expect him to really step up this year.”          T.J.’s selflessness on the court is also an asset to the team.          “He really leads by example [with] his scoring,” Cashatt said, “He had the most assists on the team, so that just shows you how unselfish he is.”          Rager is counting on T.J. to fulfill his duties on and off the court.          “You have to be able to be tough in a lot of different situations,” Rager said. “Not only in the basketball aspect but also in the academic aspect. I think he’s capable of it.”          Though expectations of him are high, T.J. is confident he can tackle his responsibilities.          “I think there’s a time and a place for when school work needs to be done,” T.J. said. “You just have to be in your room doing it and when you’re not working on school work, you have to be working on your game, doing what you need to do.”          T.J. and Robbie had planned on attending the same college to play basketball together.          “We both play the same style of basketball at our high school,” T.J. said. “So it just went hand-in-hand with our college.”          This season, the boys have high hopes of making it to playoffs.               “We all want to make the playoffs,” T.J. said. “Everyone wants to compete in the conference tournament and then move on to the big tournament.”          After graduating, T.J. wants to continue playing basketball.          “I’ll just keep working on my game,” T.J. said. “If an opportunity presents itself for me to play professionally or overseas I would probably do that.”          Rager recognizes T.J.’s potential to succeed.          “He has a great work ethic,” Rager said. “He has a great desire to win, he wants to succeed. You say that about a lot of players but in this case it’s a reality; he lives and dies basketball.”