In honor of Spartan superfan Lacey Holsworth, the 8-year-old little girl who touched the heart of a nation with her relationship with former MSU basketball star and current Minnesota Timberwolves player Adreian Payne, students will gather April 8 to paint the rock on Farm Lane one year after she lost her unfortunate battle with cancer.
Last year hundreds of students, including head basketball coach Tom Izzo and many members of the team, gathered to acknowledge the passing of the little girl whose story exploded and became a national story during last year’s NCAA men’s basketball tournament.
“Princess Lacey” made national headlines for her friendship with Adreian Payne. She often referred to the 6-foot-10-inch standout as her “big brother.”
Lacey was able to travel to games with Payne and the basketball team. The team said they were able to draw strength from her strength last season.
Last year the rock read “MSU loves Princess Lacey” and ‘Love Like Lacey’ across the bottom. Hundreds of students left messages on the rock.
The students who came to paint and sign the rock stood in silence for most of the night, the crowd started small but continued to grow throughout the night until it was in the hundreds.
At last year’s rock painting, Izzo elaborated on her last moments according to her father and spoke about how proud of the students he was.
After traveling with Payne to Dallas, Holsworth came back and told her father that she was tired and it was time to go home.
“She came back and said ‘Dad, I’m tired it’s time to go home,’” Izzo said in a previous report. “Now she’s home ... In 30 years, I’ve never been prouder of a group of students than I am now.”
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