Hawkeyes Sharpshooter Who Hit Go-Ahead 3 Represented Spain in FIBA Youth Tournaments

Álvaro Folgueiras played a season at DME Academy in Florida

Iowa Hawkeyes forward Alvaro Folgueiras (7) makes a go-ahead three-point basket against the Florida Gators late in the second half during a second-round game of the 2026 NCAA Tournament at Benchmark International Arena in Tampa, Florida. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Iowa Hawkeyes junior Álvaro Folgueiras is best described as a stretch forward who excels in post play and three-point shooting.

The Hawkeyes sharpshooter showcased his skills Sunday evening when he buried a go-ahead 3-pointer with four seconds left, which propelled ninth-seeded Iowa to a 73-72 upset win over top-seeded Florida in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.

Folgueiras, who guided the Hawkeyes to their first trip to the Sweet 16 since 1999, finished with 14 points, five rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench. The junior was also 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.

Before Folgueiras became Iowa’s hero at the Big Dance, he was a teenager coming up through the basketball ranks in his home country.

A Málaga, Spain native, Folgueiras played for Baloncesto Málaga (Unicaja Baloncesto) of Liga ACB and the Champions League. He left for the United States and played for DME Academy in Daytona Beach, Florida.

In his 2022-23 season at DME, Folgueiras averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per game. He also competed for the U-18 select team in the Adidas Next Generation Tournament.

Folgueiras has also represented Spain in multiple FIBA youth tournaments. He averaged 5.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game and shot 56% from the field (14-of-25) for Unicaja Baloncesto at the 2022 FIBA U-17 World Cup.

Also, Folgueiras led Spain to a silver medal in the 2022 FIBA U-17 and 2023 FIBA U-18 national championship tournaments. He competed for Spain in the 2024 FIBA U-20 Eurobasket tournament.

Folgueiras went on to play two seasons at Robert Morris. In his sophomore season, he was named the 2024-25 Horizon League Player of the Year and received All-Horizon League first-team honors.

The junior transferred to Iowa before the 2025-26 season. In 35 games so far this season, Folgueiras is averaging 8.5 points per game and shooting 77% from the free-throw line.

Folgueiras and the Hawkeyes (23-12) will face fourth-seeded Nebraska in the Sweet 16 on Thursday in Houston, Texas.

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