Kankakee high schools have played 133 basketball seasons and never advanced to state. The Kays lost supersectionals in 1960, 1952 and 1944. Eastridge, now closed, lost supersectionals in 1977 and 1972. Westview, also closed, lost a super in 1981.
“This is a sports town, and they are hungry for success,” Kankakee coach Chris Pickett said. “The gym is packed on Friday nights. Now, everywhere I go people joke that they are making hotel reservations in Champaign. They want to see us get there.”
The town’s hopes rest on a close-knit group of kids that grew up riding their bikes to the park together to play pickup games.
Champaign dreams always require a star. For the Kays, it is 6-5 guard Lincoln Williams.
“With all humbleness, I do think I’m the best player to ever walk these halls,” Williams said. “The numbers show it. I’ll be the leading scorer by probably the tenth or eleventh game. Humbly, I am the best player this town has seen.”
Pickett calls the past three years “The Education of Lincoln Williams.”
“He was an unassuming freshman,” Pickett said. “Then he became a sophomore with potential. Then as a junior he started to get a lot of notoriety and attention. He didn’t always handle it the right way on and off the court. But as the season went on he got better and better at it.
“When you are Lincoln Williams and someone sees you in town at Walgreens or the gas station, everyone has their idea of how they think you should be. And how you should play. That is a lot of pressure on a 16- or 17-year-old.”
Williams averaged 19 points, eight rebounds, three assists and two blocks last season. Kankakee finished 25-6 and lost to Metamora in the Class 3A sectional semifinals.
The Kays also return senior point guard Myair Thompson, Kenaz Jackson and football star Cedric Terrell. There would have been high expectations with just that group, but the Kays’ fortunes took a major upswing over the spring when EJ Hazelett, a 6-7 Indiana State recruit, moved back to Kankakee.
Hazelett was part of the group of kids that rode bikes to the park. Hazelett’s dad was coaching football in Indiana and moved back to take the head coaching job at Kankakee.
Williams and Hazelett stayed in touch throughout high school and Williams knew before everyone else that Hazelett was returning. Hazelett had a foot injury last season and only played 12 games.
“I’ve been in the gym non-stop trying to get back to my old self,” Hazelett said. “I’m a little more explosive than I was last season and a little stronger.”
Missed free throws have cost Kankakee deep playoff runs the past several years. Pickett is still worried about those, along with his bench. It’s young, with sophomores Isiah Robinson and Chris Clark and junior Phillip Turner playing major roles.
“There are some things we need to improve on,” Pickett said. “But they play selfless basketball and know what each other’s strengths are. They play together and in high school that can be tough because you have kids with their own agendas. They are on the same page.”
Six key players are just returning from the football team. That’s an issue every season, so Pickett started scheduling the first game in December and avoids Thanksgiving Tournaments.
The Kays will face Pace Academy, a prep school powerhouse from Georgia, at the Chicago Elite Classic on Dec. 6. That’s a major challenge in the third game of the season. But the start of the season isn’t important. It’s the playoff run that matters to the team and the town.
“[A state run] would be a big deal,” Hazelett said. “We already get a lot of praise for being who we are, and the season hasn’t even started.”
@michaelsobriensports Kankakee will be one of the top teams in Class 3A this year. The three public high schools in Kankakee history have a combined 133 seasons without an appearance at state. #ihsa #basketball #kankakee ♬ original sound – michaelsobriensports