Folgueiras' major role in Iowa's breakthrough Elite Eight run will always be fondly remembered no matter the jersey he dons next season.
We're approaching one week since Alvaro Folgueiras entered the transfer portal.
As we always say around here, "the portal giveth, and the portal taketh away," and the latter was the case for Iowa men's basketball in this one.
Folgueiras leaving the Hawkeyes after one season is a strange reality for some fans to accept, but that's just the landscape of college athletics that we are living in. If Iowa doesn't make its memorable NCAA tournament run, then Folgueiras leaving probably wouldn't leave a dent in Iowa fans' hearts.
Some will have a hard time seeing Folgueiras playing for another team, but remember when I mentioned "memorable NCAA tournament run?" That doesn't even remotely come close to forming without Folgueiras' efforts.
The former Horizon League Player of the Year was inconsistent throughout the regular season, but when it came time for his number to be called, Folgueiras delivered. Ninth-seeded Iowa wasn't expected to do much in the Big Dance after an up-and-down 21-12 regular season, but found themselves in a dogfight with top-seeded Florida just one week later.
Folgueiras' game-winning triple with four seconds remaining ended nearly three decades of NCAA tournament futility and frustration for the Hawkeyes. Their first Sweet 16 game since 1999 would come against rival Nebraska, and there was Folgueiras at the forefront again. His two dunks in the waning minute of the contest helped push Iowa to an emotional 77-71 victory and advance to the Elite Eight for the first time since 1987.
The Elite Eight showdown against Illinois didn't go the way Iowa and Folgueiras expected. The Spaniard didn't register a point in nine minutes of game action, and it became clear that the matchup against the Fighting Illini's large frontcourt was too much.
That, and a potential NIL haul from a bigger program likely prompted Folgueiras decision to move on. He only spent one year in Iowa City, but what he did in the NCAA tournament made enough memories that Iowans will hold on to until the end of time.
Just look at the fan reaction videos posted on social media after the Florida game. Those celebrations will always be intertwined with Folgueiras, and as they always say, "once a Hawk, always a Hawk."
Folgueiras also brought many memories for us media folks. Every Hawkeye is always professional and kind to chat with - even in defeat - but no one brought as much humor to the table as Folgueiras. That's definitely our lasting image of him, and the emotional photo of him hugging his mother after the Florida game shows the kind of person he is - a good one.
No one will blame Folgueiras for seeking a bag for his final year of college basketball because they'll always have March of '26.
I don't think there's a single Iowa fan who will forget Folgueiras.
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