Pitt Transfer Has Eyes on NCAA Tournament

Dishon Jackson is one of several new transfers to the Pitt Panthers. After spending the 2024-25 season with the Iowa State Cyclones, the center entered the transfer portal and joined a Pitt team that's desperate for more talent. Jackson spoke with the media about the process and his goals for this season.

When asked about his decision to commit to Pitt, Jackson highlighted head coach Jeff Capel's influence. He talked about Capel's "belief" in Jackson and his offensive game. Jackson enters Pitt with an already good relationship with the coaching staff.

Jackson isn't the only starting-caliber center on Pitt's current roster. Jackson will join the likes of Cameron Corhen and Papa Amadou Kante. When asked about his fit, Jackson had full confidence in being able to share the floor with the other big men, Corhen especially. He said he can provide things that Cam sometimes struggles with, and vice versa. He mentioned that Pitt will have some big lineups this upcoming season.

Jackson also hinted at being able to shift into a stretch-5 when needed. However, he still sees himself as a "dominate post player" who can get the ball in the basket or kick it out to the open man.

As Pitt's incoming team is full of many younger players, Jackson has something a lot of them lack: postseason experience. In his recent year with Iowa State, Jackson made the NCAA tournament, making it to the round of 32. Jackson highlighted how hard it was to make and play in the NCAA tournament, but he is "absolutely" wanting to make it back with his new team.

Jackson has more postseason experience than just the NCAA tournament. When he was with Washington State, his team played in the NIT. Jackson spoke in favor of playing in the NIT and other smaller postseason tournaments. He highlighted how the postseason expirence helps the younger players grow and gives the older players more to play for. He also mentioned how it gave him the opportunity to play in high-stake matches against future NBA players, such as Jalen Williams of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

When asked about the process of actually moving to and getting situated in Pittsburgh, Jackson brought up how friendly and welcoming everyone is.

Jackson isn't around total strangers, though. Nojus Indrusaitis, a guard who recently transferred to Pitt, played alongside Jackson at Iowa State. Jackson calls Indrusaitis a "lights-out shooter" and talked about the battles the two went on together.

While Pitt has many new faces incoming, Jackson has no worries about the bond the players have. Jackson made sure to mention that "everyone on the team loves each other" and have spent a lot of the summer together.

Jackson recognizes that basketball players are entertainers, emphasizing how the team wants to "go out there and put on a show for people watching the games". Jackson's years of college experience has taught him how important both entertainment and winning is. As he enters his last year of college basketball, he hopes to achieve both at Pitt.