There’s perhaps never been a Kankakee boys basketball season that’s had so much hype and energy surrounding the start of it, and for good reason.

The Kays are returning a plethora of vital pieces from last year’s 25-win regional championship team, led by the state’s consensus top-ranked recruit, senior swingman Lincoln Williams, and added a four-star senior forward, Indiana State commit EJ Hazelett.

While the Bulldogs stole the show early with a resounding run that gave them a double-digit first-quarter lead, the Kays spent the final three quarters proving their worth, with Williams’ 24-point night leading the charge in a 74-60 comeback win.

“It felt good,” Williams said. “It’s our last ride, so we’re trying to soak it in and enjoy each second. It’s my first time being on a team with EJ. We haven’t really played on the same team much, so it felt good.”

An early 7-2 Kankakee lead quickly went the other way after back-to-back 3-pointers from Paxson O’Malley and Jackson Bohm put the final touches on a 16-0 first-quarter run. A Williams’ rim-rattler was followed by a Thompson bucket in transition off of a Hazelett block in the final seconds of the first, setting the stage for what became a 23-4 Kankakee run that gave them a 36-30 halftime lead they’d never relinquish.

Kays coach Chris Pickett said that a string of bad practices leading up to Tuesday’s opener paired with some first-game nerves on their end were met by a hot-shooting Bulldogs team early, but once they settled in and got some stops, things started going their way.

“You saw some of that in the first quarter, first-game jitters in front of a nice crowd, and they gave us a couple good punches to their credit,” Pickett said. “But we were able to gather our composure, make some shots, string some shots together and were able to come back.”

Dayshawn Brown came off the bench and hit a pair of 3-pointers as a part of that Kays’ run, with those buckets opening things up inside for his teammates to find lanes to the basket, and added a third triple in the third. With their primary perimeter threat, Kenaz Jackson, out with a foot injury, Hazelett battling cramps and fellow senior forward Eli Cunningham battling foul trouble, players like Brown, Amari Davis and Jysan Grant gave quality minutes that they might not have anticipated.

“One of our speeches every year is that there’s going to be a time where we need everybody,” Pickett said. “Teenagers, a lot of them laugh at that and think it’s crap. We don’t expect it to be Game 1. We had to go deep to the bench with Grant and Davis, and to their credit they answered the call. Dayshawn Brown hit some big shots, and from this point after Game 1, it should only get better.”

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Basketball: Kankakee vs. Mahomet-Seymour Kankakee's Myair Thompson breaks toward the lane during the Kays' 74-60 victory over Mahomet-Seymour on Tuesday, Dec. 2, 2025. (Tiffany Blanchette)

While Williams stole the show with six rebounds, five assists and a steal in addition to his game-high 24 points, Thompson (19 points, five rebounds, three assists), Terrell III (13 points, two assists, three steals) and Hazelett (nine points, six rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block) all had solid outings as well. Thompson got 14 of his points in the second half as the southpaw recognized the defense the Bulldogs threw at him.

“My teammates (got) me open, but they did their scouting report,” Thompson said. “They tried to take me away to my right hand, and then I started using my right. Once you start using both hands, it’s hard to guard me.”

Hazelett, who spent a few years in Kankakee in grade school, moved back earlier in the year when his dad, Ed, took over as head football coach. While his cramps didn’t allow him to finish Tuesday’s tilt, he was just happy to finally suit up with his childhood friends.

“It was anticipated so much,” Hazelett said. “Counting the days, just getting closer and closer. It was really exciting, came out ready to play and obviously couldn’t finish, but it was exciting to get back with the guys in live action.”

The Kays, who host Thornridge on Friday, gave Pickett his 400th career win and 180th at Kankakee. While he joked that the milestone should have happened in last year’s IHSA Class 3A Washington Sectional semifinal overtime loss to Metamora, he couldn’t have been more serious when he spoke of the progress that not just the boys basketball program has seen as he starts his ninth season leading the program, but the entire athletic department.

“What tends to get lost in a situation like this is people tend to get lost in athletics and separate it from academics,” Pickett said. “We’ve had more kids step their game up academically because they want to be great in athletics. To be a part of a coaching staff and athletic department where everyone is working and experiencing success, it’s a great feeling.”