Folgueiras Named to Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Watch List

IOWA CITY, Iowa – University of Iowa junior Alvaro Folgueiras has been named to the Karl Malone Power Forward of the Year Preseason Top 20 Watch List, the announcement was made Thursday by the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.   

Folgueiras is the third Hawkeye to be named to the Karl Malone Watch List, joining Keegan Murray (2021) and Kris Murray (2022).  Keegan Murray won the award during the 2021 season.

Named after Class of 2010 Hall of Famer and two-time NBA Most Valuable Player Karl Malone, the annual honor is in its 12th year.

Folgueiras, who is in his first season as a Hawkeye, was the Horizon League Player of the Year and a first-team All-Horizon League selection during the 2024-25 season at Robert Morris.  He averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals for a team that won a Horizon League regular season and tournament title en route to playing in the NCAA Tournament.

The Málaga, Spain, native started all 35 games for the Colonials, scoring in double figures 27 times with five 20+ point contests.  He posted 14 double-doubles and had 10+ rebounds in 17 contests.

During the summer of 2025, Folgueiras played for the U20 Spanish National Team in the 2025 FIBA U20 EuroBasket Championships in Greece.  He also trained and played in two friendlies with the Spanish Men’s National Team in August.

Folgueiras is one of five players from the Big Ten on the preseason list along with Michigan’s Yaxel Lendeborg, Purdue’s Trey Kaufman-Renn, UCLA’s Tyler Bilodeau and Northwestern’s Nick Martinelli.

The list for the Karl Malone Award will remain fluid throughout the season with 10 semifinalists announced in late January and five finalists being announced in March. The award winner and presentation details will be revealed at the Final Four in Indianapolis.

The Hawkeyes open the 2025-26 season Nov. 4, hosting Robert Morris at 7:30 p.m. (CT) inside Carver-Hawkeye Arena.  Season and single-game tickets for the 2025-26 campaign are available at hawkeyesports.com/tickets.