TO SIGN WITH WESTERN KENTUCKY IN DECEMBER.
WCHS COACH WILLIAM UNSELD: ‘THAT’s ARMANI’s HOMETOWN SCHOOL …’
Ultimately, it was an easy decision.
Warren Central High School’s Armani Byrd plans to play college basketball at his hometown school, Western Kentucky University.
“I’ve always wanted to go to Western,” Byrd said in a telephone interview Sunday. “I’ve been going to football and basketball games at WKU for a long time …”
Byrd’s Dad, Jared Clendenin, played football at WKU from 2008 throught the 2011 season, finishing his Hilltoppers career with 139 career tackles, including eight sacks, adding an interception in his senior year on The Hill.
“My Dad played at WKU during the Willie Taggart era,” Byrd said.
The 6-foot-8, 175-pound Byrd is a physical presence under the basket. He’s a top-flight defender who excels at blocking shots, and he will not turn 18 years old until next April.
Byrd said the Dragons’ players have been quick to get together over the last few months, after Warren Central made another appearance in the KHSAA Sweet 16 at Rupp Arena in Lexington.
IN WARREN CENTRAL’s 26-4 SEASON
A SPECIAL PRESENCE UNDER THE BASKET.
Byrd confirmed that he received an offer from WKU and third-year head coach Hank Plona, and within 24 hours he posted on Twitter and Instagram that plans to sign with the Hilltoppers in December.
“That’s Armani’s hometown school,” Warren Central coach William Unseld said. “It wasn’t 24 hours before he decided that’s where he was gonna go …”
Byrd averaged 10.6 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, over the course of the Dragons’ 2025-26 season. Warren Central won its fourth KHSAA 4th Region championship in the last five seasons, finishing with an overall record of 26-4. The Dragons went cold from the field in first-round play of the KHSAA Sweet 16, falling to North Laurel, 52-38, in first-round play.
AT THE DEFENSIVE END OF THE FLOOR.
SMALLER TEAMMATES AND OPPONENTS.
“Physically speaking, Armani’s never gonna be a ‘big guy,'” said Unseld, who spent two seasons in the mid-90s as a forward for the University of South Carolina. “He’s gotten a lot stronger, and he’s starting to mature, physically … If other schools came in late, looking to sign him, I think they’d be wasting their time …
“We’ve had prep schools try to pluck Armani away from us, and he told me, ‘Coach, I’m not leaving my guys.'”
Byrd will be joining former Warren Central teammate Kade Unseld, William Unseld’s son, at WKU. The 6-foot-5 Kade Unseld is an adept 3-point shooter, and he’s entering his redshirt sophomore season with the Hilltoppers.
William Unseld points out that Byrd, too, has struggled with knee trouble earlier in his high school career. But he played all but one game, over the course of the 2025-26 season, and he’ll be returning to the Dragons along with other veteran players such as Kash Carter, Ryan Hulbert and Ian Daniel.
“We lost a lot of seniors from last year’s team, but we’ve got a lot of guys coming back, too,” Byrd said. “My role is probably going to change this year, as far as my scoring, but the main thing is to just keep improving. Keep getting stronger.
“It’s exciting, taking this big step.”
AROUND HISTORIC E.A. DIDDLE ARENA …
WAS ON HAND TO GET A LOOK AT BYRD IN MARCH.
