Some injuries demand more from an individual than others.

Suffolk Christian Academy junior small forward/shooting guard Harrison Judy has had to overcome a lot to get to the point where he could star for the Knights, but he has made it.

After his standout play in the recent Eagles Classic New Year’s Invitational Tournament, where he helped the Knights emerge as champions, Judy is the Duke Automotive-Suffolk News-Herald Player of the Week.

“I think he’s starting to play with the potential that I’ve kind of known that he’s had in there,” Suffolk Christian coach Terry Leiter said.

But just a year ago, it looked as if Judy might never be able to make such contributions.

While playing for the Knights’ junior varsity team in late January 2015, Judy suffered a serious knee injury that put him in the hospital for nearly a week.

Doctors put three screws in his leg, and after that came the difficult and painful challenge of getting him moving again.

“I was in physical therapy for four months,” he said. “It was pretty much jog, weight training, stretching and then ice, because the swelling, it used to get up pretty bad.”

Once he had worked his way back to the court, he found there was still an issue. He would feel fine before a game, but once it began and a defender came up to stop his drive, “I’d be flinching,” he said, lacking confidence in his repaired knee.

“It’s a mental problem more than it’s a physical problem,” he said, and he has taken a while to solve it.

But in a recent run of games, there have been signs that he has solved both the physical and mental parts of the problem.

Judy contributed 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals to the Knights’ 51-48 victory over host Victory Christian School in the tournament championship game. The previous day, he co-led his team with 12 points, six boards and a steal, giving the Knights a 56-26 start in the tourney against Great Hope Baptist High School.

Then, on Jan. 15, though SCA fell 54-45 to visiting Friends School, he continued to be a bright spot, shooting well from the foul line and leading his team with seven assists.

“I felt a little bit more comfortable and confident,” Judy said of his recent performances.

“He’s been putting in a lot of extra work, hanging back after practice,” shooting extra free throws and improving his driving game, Leiter said.

Judy is working to expand other areas of his game, as well.

“I’m really starting to get my jump shot working where I can also knock down mid-range jump shots,” he said. “I’ve worked a lot on my athleticism, and I hope I can be as useful on defense as I can be on offense.”

Judy was 7 or 8 when he first played basketball with Upward Sports. He later stepped away from the game but at 14 was inspired to pick it back up by his older sister, Caely Judy, who also played for Suffolk Christian.

Caely Judy said she is proud of her brother’s recent play.

“Last year, he wasn’t playing as much, and he was sitting out most of the time, but now he works so hard, especially after his injury,” she said. “It’s just amazing to see how far he’s come.”