ALEXANDRIA — Throughout the season, the Alexandria boys basketball team relied on their experience coming off a state championship run a year ago.
Undergoing several adjustments, both in lineup construction and facing new competition, the mark of the Cardinals core group will be remembered for years to come.
Alexandria, competing in their first season as a member of Class 4A after winning the Class AAA state championship in 2025, posted a 21-9 record along with a 15-1 mark in Central Lakes Conference play, winning the conference championship for the fifth time in six seasons and their third outright title in that span.
Powered by senior trio and All-CLC selections Mason Witt, Talan Witt and Gavin Roderick, Alexandria battled its way back to the state tournament, winning the Section 8-4A title in a close battle with Elk River on March 12 to qualify. The Cardinals’ season ended in the consolation semifinals.
Beyond the numbers, the group of seniors, which also includes starters Myles Gray and Thomas Hinrichs along with reserve players Max Janssen and Brendan Behrens, will always be viewed as players to look up to in the Cardinals’ program.
“This group of seniors leave quite a legacy in our basketball program,” Alexandria head coach Forrest Witt said, who completed his 18th season at the helm of the team. “They are great role models for what it means to be a student-athlete in our program.”
Getting back to the state tournament was far from a guarantee as the season went along, as a difficult non-conference schedule combined with injuries to key players both in the lineup and the Cardinals rotation saw younger players get valuable minutes off the bench.
Rather than dwell on not being at full strength, Alexandria focused on learning how to adjust in tough spots over the season along with learning more about themselves in the process. It’s a goal everyone in the Cardinal locker room, from players and coaches, strives for each day around the court.
“There is so much personal learning that occurs in team sports, from an individual and team perspective,” Witt said. “Our kids always responded with toughness and resilience.”
Alexandria’s Mason Witt (right) cuts inside to the basket around Maple Grove’s Max Iversen during the Class 4A state quarterfinals on Tuesday, March 24, 2026, at Target Center.
Blake Durham / Alexandria Echo Press
Atop the scoresheet on the season for Alexandria was Mason Witt, who became the Cardinals’ all-time leading scorer and finished the season as the first boys player to score 2,000 career points in school history. Averaging 23.6 points per game in his senior campaign, Witt was named a finalist for the Minnesota Mr. Basketball award.
Often working in tanden with Witt, Roderick was the No. 2-scorer on the team, averaging 22.1 points per game en route to surpassing the 1,000-point plateau and matching a single-game state record when he went 10-of-10 from behind the arc in the win against ROCORI on Jan. 13. Roderick recently announced his commitment to St. John’s University (Minn.) on April 21.
Talan Witt was limited to only 19 games due to injuries, but still finished third in scoring on the Cardinals in averaging 11.6 points per game. The Southwest Minnesota State commit ended his prep career as the Cardinals’ all-time leader with 348 career assists. Grady Starzl averaged 10.1 points per game in his junior season and led the team in rebounding (4.0 per game).
As Alexandria looks ahead to the future with Starzl, Blake Scholl, Ty Miller and Berant Amborn all likely to be at the forefront next season, the team looks back on the year of new challenges and legacies cemented with one hope for everyone on the roster.
There are really two things that we want our players to experience within a season and being part of Cardinal Basketball; learning and enjoyment,” Forrest Witt said. “We want their experience in Cardinal Basketball to be enjoyable.”
Alexandria’s Grady Starzl (center) arches backwards to put up a shot from close range during a high school boys basketball game on Saturday, Feb. 7, 2026, at Alexandria Area High School.
Alexandria Echo Press file photo
2026 Alexandria Boys Basketball Team Awards
ALL-STATE: Mason Witt
ALL-CONFERENCE: Mason Witt, Talan Witt, Gavin Roderick
ALL-CONFERENCE HM: Myles Gray, Grady Starzl
MOST IMPROVED: Myles Gray
DEFENSIVE MVP: Thomas Hinrichs
TEAM MVP: Mason Witt
Blake Durham is the Sports and Outdoors Editor at the Echo Press. He joined the newspaper in September 2025 and covers various sports in Alexandria and throughout Douglas County. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire with a bachelor’s degree in communications in 2022.