The NCAA Tournament is still ongoing, but the transfer portal waits for no one. With six outgoing seniors/graduates and one outgoing transfer, Mark Pope and the Kentucky Wildcats will have to reload through the portal once again this offseason.

Kam Williams (Tulane) and Jaland Lowe (Pitt) are already on board. Who could be next?

Robert Morris’ Alvaro Folgueiras is one we’re keeping a close eye on. Kentucky’s interest in the 6-foot-9, 215-pound stretch forward first popped up last week and the Wildcats appear to be in the mix. On3’s Pete Nakos called his shot on Friday, predicting UK to ultimately land Folgueiras out of the portal. A native of Spain, Folgueiras has been back home since the end of the season but is expected to arrive in the United States soon where he’ll likely take a handful of visits before looking to make a decision.

Folgueiras is a highly sought-after target. On3 ranks him as the 20th-best transfer to enter his name into the portal this offseason. As a sophomore in 2024-25, he averaged 13.8 points, 8.9 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.3 steals, and 1.1 blocks in 29.1 minutes per contest. Appearing in all 34 games played, Folgueiras shot 54.5 percent from the field, 41.5 percent from deep (3.1 attempts per outing), and 78.3 percent from the free throw line. All of that led to him being named the Horizon League Player of the Year.

With two years of college eligibility remaining at his next stop, here’s what you need to know about Folgueiras.

[KSR’s Kentucky MBB Transfer Portal Tracker]

“The Octopus” wins medals with Spain

Born in Málaga, Spain, Folgueiras established himself as a prized prospect on the international scene thanks to his play at the FIBA level. Representing his home country, he led Spain to a pair of silver medal finishes in the 2022 FIBA U17 Basketball World Cup and the 2023 FIBA U18 European Championship.

Nicknamed “El Pulpo Fol”, which translates to “The Octopus” due to his reported 7-foot-6 wingspan, Folgueiras also participated in the 2024 FIBA U20 EuroBasket. Across 21 games played during those three events, he averaged 5.2 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists per outing. His older brother, Ignacio Folguerias, plays professionally overseas.

Folguerias ultimately came to the States ahead of the 2022-23 season, where he spent his senior year at Florida’s DME Academy. He averaged 8.6 points and 7.6 rebounds per outing before going off to Robert Morris for the beginning of his college career.

Becoming a threat in the Horizon League

Folguerias immediately made an impact with the Colonials as a freshman in 2023-24, slowly being featured more and more in the rotation. He saw double-digit minutes in all of his first seven games, but it wasn’t until his 11th game he flashed potential with an 11-point, 15-rebound performance. He continued to come off the bench for most of the regular season until mid-February.

With the season already lost (Robert Morris finished with a 10-22 record), Folguerias was inserted into the starting lineup for the final six games of the schedule, posting per-game averages of 9.3 points, eight rebounds, 1.8 blocks, and 1.3 assists on 45.5 percent shooting. It was a sign of what was to come in 2024-25.

Folguerias made a massive leap as a sophomore and turned Robert Morris into a legit contender in the Horizon League. The Colonials finished with a 25-9 record (15-5 Horizon) on its way to winning the Horizon League regular season and conference tournament championship. Folguerias was second on the team in points and first in rebounds. He registered 13 double-doubles and scored in double-digits across all 11 of Robert Morris’ final games. During that time, the Colonials didn’t lose a single game before running into Alabama in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Those last 11 games showed just how dangerous Folguerias can be. He dropped his career-high 35 points against Northern Kentucky. Five of those contests resulted in him posting a double-double. He went for 15 points, 10 rebounds, and four assists in a 90-81 loss to the Crimson Tide.

Advanced Stat Profile: Alvaro Folgueiras

As a sophomore, Folguerias graded out as one of the nation’s best rebounders. He was particularly effective in cleaning up the opposing team’s misses but also ranked among the top 350 in the country in grabbing his own team’s misses. In his only two games against high-major programs last season (West Virginia and Alabama), he grabbed 10 rebounds in each.

When it came to scoring at the rim, he was equally as effective. He shot 67.3 percent on “close 2” shots, per BartTorvik, and 60.3 percent from two-point range overall. Folguerias was also efficient at getting to the line and knocking down his freebies at a high rate. If he was faced with another big on the perimeter, he could beat them off the dribble.

What makes Folguerias such a tantalizing prospect in the portal is his ability to stretch the floor. With a quick-trigger release for a big, he had 25 games last season with at least one made three-pointer and 13 games with at least two or more makes from deep. His playmaking is what should have Kentucky fans interested though. Folguerias was one of the best big men passers in the country as a sophomore. He had 19 games of three or more assists, reaching seven assists on three different occasions.

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