Thank You, Alvaro: Folgueiras Enters the Transfer Portal

It was only a matter of time, but that does not make it sting any less.

Alvaro Folgueiras has officially entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The 6-foot-10 forward from Malaga, Spain, who transferred to Iowa from Robert Morris ahead of the 2025-26 season, will explore his options elsewhere after one season in Iowa City. And what a season it was.

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Folgueiras appeared in all 37 games for the Hawkeyes, averaging 8.4 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 2.2 assists on 50% shooting from the field. He scored in double figures 16 times, and Iowa posted a remarkable 15-1 record in those games. He finished third on the team with 81 assists and fourth with 32 steals, quietly becoming one of the more versatile players in the rotation.

But the stats will never tell the full story of what Alvaro Folgueiras meant to this program and the fanbase.

The Shot

Down 72-70 against defending national champion and No. 1 overall seed Florida with 8.9 seconds left, Iowa called timeout. Bennett Stirtz brought the ball up court, broke the Gators’ full-court pressure, and found Folgueiras in the right corner. One dribble back to set his feet behind the arc. A release so pure it looked like a shooting drill. Nothing but net. 73-72 Iowa. 4.5 seconds left. Florida never got a shot off.

That three-pointer sent Iowa to the Sweet 16 for the first time since 1999. It knocked out the reigning national champions on their home state’s floor. It was the first No. 1 seed to fall in the 2026 tournament. And it was hit by a freshman from Spain who half the fanbase couldn’t spell two months earlier.

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After the shot, Folgueiras pointed to the sky in honor of his late father, who passed away when Alvaro was nine years old. Then he ran into the arms of his mother, Beatriz Campos, who had flown from Spain to watch him play in person for the first time in two years. If you didn’t tear up, you weren’t paying attention.

The Tournament Run

Folgueiras didn’t just show up for one shot. He averaged 11 points per…

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Publish date : 2026-04-11 12:44:00

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