IOWA CITY, Iowa– Alvaro Folgueiras is going to be a household name for Hawkeye basketball fans this upcoming winter. The Robert Morris transfer was one of the biggest additions to the first edition of Ben McCollum’s squad. Last season, Folgueiras averaged 14.1 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 3.2 assists while shooting 54.8 percent from the field and also 41.3 percent from three. He was named Horizon Player of the Year.
Last Thursday, local media got the opportunity to speak with a couple of Iowa players and assistant coaches for the first time in the McCollum era. They weren’t shy about giving praise to the incoming forward.
“Al’s game is pretty crazy. He’s a beast. I love Al,” Iowa forward Tavion Banks said. “He’s a great guy. He brings a lot of energy to the team and he’s learning, but he’s trying to be a leader at the same time. He’s trying to pick up everything. Lots of energy and effort. He’s also hitting a lot of threes from the perimeter, but he’s aggressive and can get to the rim. Great defensive guy too.”
Folgueiras is not currently with the team. Two weeks ago, he was named to the Spain National Team and will play with the U20 team at the FIBA U20 EuroBasket Championships in Heraklion, Greece.
“It’s been great. He’s meshed with these guys very well right away,” Iowa assistant coach Connor Wheeler said. “As a basketball player– his ability to stretch the floor with his size, to pass the ball as well as he does– he’s been great. He really fits in with with us.”
Folgueiras will have two seasons of eligibility remaining. After entering the transfer portal, he was one of the more-sought after forwards in the country. He ended up taking a handful of visits including Iowa, Villanova and Providence. When all was said and done– he felt that Iowa was the ‘perfect’ fit for what him.
“It’s fun to think about a high-IQ big man like Folgueiras as the secondary creator in Ben McCollum’s offense,” 247Sports’ Isaac Trotter wrote. “Utah, Howard and Abilene Christian were the only three teams who used cuts to get buckets more than Drake. Bennett Stirtz will be the trigger-man for everything, but Folgueiras’ passing would add another button for McCollum to press in the halfcourt. Folgueiras mostly operated as a small-ball 5 for Robert Morris but he could easily play next to Cam Manyawu who is more of a bruiser. Folgueiras has some toughness to him, but he’s more of a skill guy. Fit is everything in the portal, so it’s easy to see why McCollum and Co. are tantalized by Folgueiras. This would be a high-floor and a high-ceiling match.”
The Hawkeyes are in the midst of establishing their identity. Luckily for Iowa and McCollum, six players from Drake opted to follow McCollum to Iowa City. The culture is beginning to form and building upon it day-by-day is the goal. Folgueiras is going to be a major part of that.
“Alvaro is an extremely versatile player,” McCollum when Folgueiras signed. “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.”
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