A firm chest pass to the scorer’s table.
The turnover coming with just more than a minute on the clock was all it took for the Senior Night festivities to start. But for a second it seemed like it wouldn’t happen.
Keith Appling dribbled the ball over the half court line, and head coach Tom Izzo demanded his senior guard to throw the ball out of bounds to stop the clock. After all, senior guard Dan Chapman was waiting to get into his final game at Breslin Center.
Problem was, Appling didn’t want to add a blemish to his stat line. Instead, he let sophomore guard Denzel Valentine have the honor of committing the turnover.
“(Appling is) so worried about his turnovers, he didn’t want to,” Izzo said after Thursday’s win over Iowa. “So I told him to give it to Denzel and he didn’t want to either. I said, ‘You’re an underclassman, turn that thing over.’”
It was a necessary turnover, because just like the game, the time Keith Appling, Adreian Payne and Dan Chapman have played at Breslin Center was coming to an end. It was time to say goodbye, and Payne and Appling kissed the oversized Spartan helmet logo to bring their East Lansing playing days to a close.
Both made their exits count in an 86-76 victory over Iowa, as Payne was MSU’s second-highest scorer with 14 points. Appling made his final home game count by scoring all 12 of his points in the second half, displaying a confident jump shot fans haven’t seen in weeks.
When they left the court, Chapman stepped on, but not before the Spartan faithful chanted “We want Chapman” at the bench. As a hardworking walk-on who earned a scholarship this season, it was comforting to hear the support pour in from the bleachers.
“People actually do end up realizing who you are, recognize your hard work and the time you put in the program, and they want to see you get some reward out of that, and that means a lot to me,” Chapman said. “It makes you feel more special than you really are.”
He was subbed out with 10 seconds left in the game, allowing him to kiss the court on his way out.
After the game the seniors were honored in front of the thousands of fans that stuck around for the ceremony.
Appling, who seemed to have brought half the city of Detroit with him, thanked teammates, coaches and fans but ended by assuring fans there is still a lot of basketball to be played.
“We got a long way to go - still a lot of games left,” Appling said at the end of his speech. “But I hope to see you all in Dallas for the Final Four. Go Green.”
Payne walked out with his father, Thomas Payne, but he also carried a princess with him. Known by many as “Princess Lacey,” 8-year-old Lacey Holsworth was in Payne’s arms as he walked to midcourt.
Battling nueroblastoma, an aggressive cancer she has been battling for more than two years, “Princess Lacey” has served not only as an inspirational figure, but also a little sister for Payne.
“I want to thank Lacey’s family and everybody for coming out and supporting me and just praying for Lacey, because she is going through some hard times,” Payne said near the end of his speech.
