Back in 2007, Point Park’s University’s men’s basketball team reached the pinnacle of any sports team as they captured the American Midwest Conference (AMC) championship. However, the following seasons have resulted in records that were worse than the campaign before, leading to last year’s 9-16 campaign. Led by 22nd year Head Coach Bob Rager, this year’s squad is hoping to buck the losing trend.This year’s team is going to have some growing pains to go through before they can compete. Perhaps the biggest concern entering this year is the fact that only one starter is returning this season. But that returning student, T.J. Heatherington, was arguably the best player on the team last year, leading the team in scoring in 10 of their 25 contests. The sophomore guard was named to the All-AMC second team, but he has not let this early award make him lose focus on what is important to the team.”Awards are meaningless,” Heatherington said. “It’s all about winning games.”Heatherington should continue to improve as the year progresses, as should his freshman brother, freshman Rob. Also a guard, Rob Heatherington leads a moderately-sized group of new players, which includes two senior transfers, including former Duquesne “Duke” Kris Douse. Another noteworthy newcomer is freshman guard Josh Pohlot. Between him and the Heatherington brothers, the guard position seems to be set for years to come.Rob spoke positively about his decision to attend and play for Point Park.”I’m a city type of guy, and I fell in love with the city, the school and the way Rager ran the team,” Rob said.Both T.J. and Rob were enthralled at the prospect of being able to play alongside one another this year.”I’m extremely excited,” T.J. said. “He’s my best friend on and off the court.”Rob has similar sentiments.”It’s absolutely wonderful that I’m going to be able to play with him for a few years,” Rob said.The duo should help make Rager’s duties a little easier through the course of the season. Coming off of his 5th worst record with the team, the longest tenured coach in the program’s 44 year history has a good opportunity to pass his predecessor, Jerry Conboy, for the most wins in school history. He needs just 10 victories to tie the record and five to join the 300-win club.One of the keys to improving this team’s record is to develop their playing style within the conference. During the last two seasons, 20 of the team’s 32 loses have been in conference play. In the two seasons before that, the team dropped five of 20 conference games, including only one defeat in their championship run. Another key would be to improve their record on the road. Last year, the team boasted a winning home record, with four of their five home wins being against conference teams, but suffered a 2-8 road record and a mark of 2-4 on neutral sites. If these two problems can be fixed, a playoff run can seem more like a reality. Click HERE to listen to WPPJ radio’s coverage of the men’s basketball opener on Friday, Nov. 5.