Kaleb Brown was voted Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week after scoring 25 points in a Saints win.

The Nansemond-Suffolk Academy boys’ basketball team is off to a great start this season. They went 3-0 last week, and it came behind some big performances from Brown, a freshman.

He had a 25-point performance against Norfolk Christian School and then followed that up with 31 points against Middleburg. It was a strong stretch for Brown, who felt good about the way he has been playing as of late.

“I think I stepped up for the team, and we played well,” Brown said. “As a team, we had played great that whole week.”

Brown was a contributor for the Saints last season, and this year he feels like the experience from last season to this season has helped his game grow. Knowing the speed of the varsity level and what to expect from his competitors has really helped his game from last season to this season. Now he is a key piece to a Saints team that’s looking to take the next step this year.

“We have had a couple of losses that we maybe could have won, but those are going to make us better,” Brown said. “I am a more experienced player this season, so that’s helped my game a lot.”

The NSA freshman has lofty goals for his team this year, hopefully ending in a state championship. However, before they can get there, Brown is hoping NSA can come away with the conference, which looks doable for the Saints. For himself, Brown wanted to be more aggressive this season offensively. He worked on his game all off-season to assure he could do so.

With Brown being a young player and being able to stand out the way he has lately, he gives credit to his teammates.

“We have a family mindset and a lot of trust in each other,” he said. “It gives me a lot of confidence when I’m playing, and it shows from the extra workouts I’ve done and things like that.”

Brown is motivated by his teammates, family, coaches and the NSA student section. All those things play a factor in getting him going on the court. He loves to compete, and when he competes, he feels like he gets better.

Last fall, Brown also stepped onto the football field for NSA, where he finished the season as a second team All-State linebacker, turning himself into a two-sport standout for the Saints.