Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras Signs With Hawkeyes

IOWA CITY, Iowa – Horizon League Player of the Year Alvaro Folgueiras (al-VAH-row Fool-gair-us) has signed a scholarship agreement with the University of Iowa men’s basketball program, it was announced Monday by head coach Ben McCollum. 

The 6-foot-9, 215-pound forward will have two seasons of eligibility remaining with the Hawkeyes after playing his first two seasons at Robert Morris University in Pittsburgh.

Folgueiras, a native of Málaga, Spain, is the eighth player to join the new-look Iowa roster this spring, joining Drake transfers Bennett Stirtz, Kael Combs, Cam Manyawu, Isaia Howard and Tavion Banks, high school signee Trevin Jirak and Hawkeye returnee Cooper Koch.

“Alvaro is an extremely versatile player,” said McCollum. “He shoots at a high clip, is super competitive and has won…we value winning.  On top of that is his ability to pass the ball and trigger offense, which is what we needed.  We’re excited Alvaro is a Hawkeye.” 

Alvaro Folgueiras (al-VAH-row Fool-gair-us (long a))
6-9, 215, Forward
Málaga, Spain
DME Academy (Fla.)
Robert Morris University

• Horizon League Player of the Year and first-team All-Horizon League selection after averaging 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 1.4 steals per game
• Led Robert Morris to a 26-9 overall record and to the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles
• Started all 35 games, scoring in double figure 27 times with five 20+ point contests
• Shot 54.8 percent (176-of-321) from the field, 41.3 percent (45-of-109) from 3-point range and 78.4 percent (98-of-125) from the free throw stripe
• Posted 14 double-doubles and had 10+ rebounds in 17 contests
• Had five or more assists in six games, 3+ steals in seven games and made 3+ 3-pointers in five contests
• Had 35-point, 10-rebound double-double at Northern Kentucky (2/8)… made 12-of-14 field goals, 3-of-4 3-pointers and 8-of-10 free throws
• Had a 15-point, 10-rebound double-double against top-seeded Alabama in the NCAA Tournament
• Finished with 21 points and a career-high 19 rebounds against Northern Kentucky (12/29) and tied a career-best with seven assists against Youngstown State in the Horizon League Championship game
• Had 27 points, 16 rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocks against Saint Francis (Pa.) (12/21)
• Three-time Horizon League Player of the Week… named to the Urban-Bennett Invitational MTE All-Tournament Team
• Averaged 5.3 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.2 assists as a freshman… posted a pair of double-doubles… was only RMU player to play in all 31 games, scoring in double figures six times
• Averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds for DME Academy in 2022-23
• Saw action for U18 Next Generation Select Team in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament
• Represented Spain in the 2024 FIBA U20 Eurobasket held in Gdynia, Poland
• Averaged 5.3 points and 5.9 rebounds for Unicaja Baloncesto in the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup… shot 56 percent (14-of-25) from the field at the 2022 FIBA U17 World Cup
• Led Spain to a silver medal in the 2022 FIBA U17 and 2023 FIB U18 National Championships
• Nicknamed “El Pulpo Fol” translated to “the octopus”
• Brother, Ignacio, plays professionally in Spain