Alvaro Folgueiras
No. 7 – Iowa Hawkeyes
Position Power forward
League Big Ten Conference
Personal information
Born (2005-04-01) April 1, 2005 (age 20)
Málaga, Spain
Listed height 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m)
Listed weight 230 lb (104 kg)
Career information
High school DME Academy
(Daytona Beach, Florida)
College
  • Robert Morris (2023–2025)
  • Iowa (2025–present)
Career highlights
  • Horizon League Player of the Year (2025)
  • First-team All-Horizon League (2025)

Álvaro Folgueiras Campos (born April 1, 2005) is a Spanish college basketball player for the Iowa Hawkeyes of the Big Ten Conference. He previously played for the Robert Morris Colonials of the Horizon League.

Early life

Born in Málaga on April 1, 2005, Folgueiras began his basketball career playing for CB El Palo and the youth system of Unicaja Málaga in Spain before leaving for the United States to play at the DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida.[1][2][3] After spending a season at the DME Academy, Folgueiras committed to play college basketball at Robert Morris University.[4]

College career

Folgueiras played mostly as a reserve as a freshman, before increasing his production the following year.[5] On December 21, 2024, in a game against Saint Francis, he recorded a double-double, totaling 27 points and 16 rebounds, to go along with four steals, three blocks, and four assists.[6] As a sophomore, he was named the Horizon League Player of the Year.[7]

On April 20, 2025, Folgueiras announced his decision to transfer to the University of Iowa to play for the Iowa Hawkeyes.[8] On March 22, 2026, he scored 14 points and had five rebounds off the bench, including a game-winning three-pointer with 4.5 seconds left, in Iowa's 73–72 NCAA tournament win over No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida, sending the Hawkeyes to their first Sweet 16 since 1999.[9][10]

Style of play

Folgueiras is a stretch forward, excelling in both post play and three-point shooting. He is also an exceptional rebounder. During his time at Robert Morris, commentator Chris Shovlin began referring to him by the nickname El Pulpo Fol ("Fol the Octopus" in Spanish) after noting that his rebounding proficiency made it seem as though he had extra limbs. The nickname also doubled as an homage to El Pulpo Paul, the octopus who famously predicted matches during the 2010 FIFA World Cup, which was won by Folgueiras's native Spain.

Career statistics

Legend
  GP Games played   GS  Games started  MPG  Minutes per game
 FG%  Field goal percentage  3P%  3-point field goal percentage  FT%  Free throw percentage
 RPG  Rebounds per game  APG  Assists per game  SPG  Steals per game
 BPG  Blocks per game  PPG  Points per game  Bold  Career high

College

Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2023–24 Robert Morris 32 6 17.8 .456 .286 .737 4.5 1.2 .4 .7 5.3
2024–25 Robert Morris 34 34 29.1 .544 .415 .783 8.9 3.1 1.3 1.1 13.8

References

  1. ^ Bragado, Fran (March 23, 2026). "El malagueño Álvaro Folgueiras hace historia y se clasifica para el Sweet 16 del March Madness 2026 de la NCAA". Área Costa del Sol (in Spanish). Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  2. ^ Calderón, Juan (July 27, 2022). "Álvaro Folgueiras confirma su salida del Unicaja y se marcha a la DME Academy de Estados Unidos". Diario Sur (in Spanish). Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  3. ^ Olías, José Manuel (July 27, 2022). "Álvaro Folgueiras deja el Unicaja para marcharse a la DME Academy en Florida". Málaga Hoy (in Spanish). Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  4. ^ Ortega, Paco (May 24, 2023). "Álvaro Folgueiras da el salto a la NCAA - Radio Marca Málaga". Radio Marca Málaga (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on August 13, 2024. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  5. ^ Mackall, Dave (March 2, 2025). "Folgueiras' health a concern for top-seeded Robert Morris as Horizon League Tournament approaches". TribLIVE.com. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  6. ^ "Alvaro Folgueiras' 27-point double-double leads Robert Morris to win over St. Francis". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  7. ^ Borst, Adam (March 3, 2025). "Robert Morris Earns Multiple Horizon League Awards and Accolades". Pittsburgh Sports Now. Retrieved March 3, 2025.
  8. ^ "Report: Robert Morris' Alvaro Folgueiras transferring to Iowa". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved April 21, 2025.
  9. ^ Laine, Jenna (March 22, 2026). "Alvaro Folgueiras, Iowa oust Florida in NCAA tournament thriller". ESPN. Retrieved March 23, 2026.
  10. ^ "Iowa 73-72 Florida Game Recap". Associated Press. March 22, 2026. Retrieved March 23, 2026.