Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras fulfills vision at NCAA Tournament

HOUSTON – Shortly after arriving from Spain at 16 years old in 2021, Alvaro Folgueiras began learning English at the DME Academy in Dayton, Fla. The adjustment to a new country, culture and language wasn’t easy. The Iowa junior’s sacrifices are paying off, though, as he heads into the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16. 

The first year in the United States was especially difficult because Folgueiras missed his friends and family back in Malaga, Spain. Iowa’s 6-foot-10 forward still has bouts of homesickness, actually. 

“Well, the first (year), the second one, the third one, the fourth one, that never goes away,” he says of missing Spain. “But if you want something, you got to be able to sacrifice a lot of things. That is my case. 

“I’ve been sacrificing a lot of things, a lot of moments that I can live with my family and with my people back in Spain. I had a vision that I wanted something in life. And that was to be a basketball player. I thought that the place to make it possible was coming to the U.S. I definitely don’t regret the decision.”

3-pointer to remember

The confidence that prompted Folgueiras to leave Spain to chase his basketball goals in the U.S. was on full display on Sunday night. With Iowa down by two points against No. 1 seed and defending national champion Florida, Folgueiras wanted the ball.

"March is for the dreamers" ❤️

Alvaro Folgueiras speaks on his relationship with his mom and the Iowa team 👏#MarchMadness pic.twitter.com/LMyWG2u1h6

— NCAA March Madness (@MarchMadnessMBB) March 23, 2026

“I’m going to be ready and I’m going to make it,” Folgueiras told Iowa star Bennett Stirtz before nailing the winning 3-pointer with 4.5 seconds to play in Tampa.

“That’s what he actually did,” Stirtz said.  

Folgueiras’ 3-pointer will live in Iowa sports lore for generations. Few who saw No. 9-seeded Iowa’s upset over Florida will soon forget the heartwarming scene of Folgueiras hugging his mother Beatriz Campos after the victory.

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Folgueiras had not seen his mother since the summer. His older brother Ignacio “Nacho” will attend the Hawkeyes’ Sweet 16 game against Nebraska on Thursday night at Houston’s Toyota Center.

Folgueiras has grown accustomed to being away from immediate family for long stretches, but he readily concedes that it is not easy. Nonetheless, he has persevered.

Finding a home in Iowa City

After averaging 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior at DME in 2022-2023, he signed with Robert Morris University. He was named the Horizon League Player of the Year last season before transferring to Iowa. 

He has averaged 8.5 points per game on .493 shooting percentage this season. Folgueiras scored a season-high 20 points against Ohio State on Feb. 25. After failing to score in double digits in five consecutive games leading up to the NCAA Tournament, he has blossomed during March Madness.

He scored 14 points in each of the first two NCAA Tournament games while helping Iowa upset Clemson and then Florida. It’s almost as though he was meant for the bright lights that he could practically see all the way from Spain as a teen.

“I think he took a big risk when he came over (from Spain),” Iowa coach Ben McCollum said. “Obviously he went to DME not knowing any English and just said, ‘I’m (going to) bet on myself,’ and he did. And then his first year at Robert Morris, they were not very good. 

“He was the one guy that stayed around, and they won the league the very next season. Now he’s on to the Sweet 16 with the University of Iowa. So I think it says a lot about his willpower, his belief in himself and what I like to tell him his irrational confidence, which is his greatest strength and greatest weakness all at once.”

Plenty of confidence

Folgueiras doesn’t suffer from a lack of confidence. 

“His greatest strength is that he thinks he can make it from right here right now,” McCollum said while standing outside his locker room at Toyota Center, about 40 feet behind the baskets. “That’s sometimes his greatest weakness too. But that’s what allowed him to get to this point.”

Iowa’s Alvaro Folgueiras hits a go ahead 3-pointer.

His mother lost her mind behind us.

Iowa leads by 1 with 4.5 seconds left pic.twitter.com/Xwvr4vhiD5

— Joe Gaither (@JoeGaither6) March 23, 2026

Folgueiras’ English skills have also improved dramatically from those early days at DME Academy. He credits his basketball teammates with helping him increase his vocabulary. 

He even cracks a smile when asked which words were the first English ones he learned.

“The bad ones,” he said. “Because at the end of the day you learn locker room English, and you have a lot of confidence with your teammates. I try to keep it formal.”