Taylor County’s U of L recruit ‘a huge story’ despite loss in Sweet 16
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Bryten Close became a media 'huge story' despite Sweet 16 loss.
- Close balanced football prep and basketball while playing with a torn labrum.
- He signed with U of L after anchoring Taylor County’s offensive line.
In the aftermath of Taylor County’s 73-64 loss to Grayson County in the UK HealthCare Boys’ Basketball Sweet 16, Cardinals coach Joshua Kays offered a meta-textual observation about the event and one of his players, Bryten Close.
“I was hoping we could get one (win) because a kid like that, sometimes you guys (the media) grab onto and then it becomes a huge story,” Kays said. “I was hoping he would get that because he is a phenomenal kid.”
The Cardinals didn’t get their win, but Close will get this one, because he’s the kind of player you don’t see much at Rupp Arena. Standing at 6-foot-6 and weighing in at 300 pounds, Close is a mountain of a young man but moves with fluidity that belies his size.
He grew up playing basketball and considered someday that could be in his future. Alas, his blend of measurables and quick-footedness often works out even better on the football field. That’s where Close will spend the rest of his playing days: he signed with the University of Louisville in December.
Rated as one of the top-100 offensive tackles in the country, Close anchored an offensive line that helped Taylor County generate more than 2,000 rushing yards in 2025. He had the ability to enroll at U of L in January but opted for one more go-around with Taylor County’s basketball team.
Following the 2024 football season, Close played basketball with a torn labrum into early January 2025 before the pain became unbearable and he missed the Cardinals’ final 14 games. He was motivated to help the program – which felt like it could’ve ended a near-decade long drought between state-tournament appearances with him at full strength last season — achieve its goal this year.
“It’s been very tough,” Close said. “On one hand, I’m needing to lift weights every day and get ready for next football season. On the other hand, I need to get up and down and stay in shape for basketball. I’ve tried to find a balance. Coach Kays has been very respectful and understanding, he’s let me lift when I need to lift and work on football when I need to work on football. And at the same time, he knows when it matters that I’ll be there for him.”
Close this season became a significant factor in the Cardinals’ success, averaging a career-best 10.5 points and 5.9 rebounds, and became the focal point around which Kays designed the team’s defense.
He scored 13 points, grabbed nine rebounds and dished out four assists in Taylor County’s loss to Grayson County — all with a broken bone in one of his feet.
Kays was right: to the Sweet 16 winners go the insightful feature stories. And Close is a winner.
“You don’t replace that,” Kays said. “I’m not even talking on the floor. I’m talking off the court, with the community, kids in the stands that look up to him. He’s such a good person.”