Color Scheme

Subscribe now
WSU Men's Basketball

Washington State center Dishon Jackson enters transfer portal

Washington State center Dishon Jackson smiles from the sidelines during a preseason practice in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)
Washington State center Dishon Jackson smiles from the sidelines during a preseason practice in Pullman. (Tyler Tjomsland/The Spokesman-Review)Buy a print of this photo
By Colton Clark coltonc@spokesman.com(208) 627-3209

PULLMAN – Dishon Jackson, who started 19 games in Washington State’s frontcourt before a health issue interrupted his Cougars career, has entered the NCAA transfer portal.

The junior center announced his decision Thursday evening over Twitter.

Jackson was sidelined for the entire 2022-23 season due to an undisclosed medical concern. The 6-foot-10, 250-pounder appeared in 49 games over the past two seasons.

One of the 15 highest-rated recruits in program history, per 247Sports.com, Jackson came to WSU as a four-star prospect out of St. Patrick-St. Vincent in Vallejo, California. He earned an honorable mention nod on the All-Pac-12 freshman team following the 2020-21 season. Jackson started 13 games as a true freshman and made a name for himself as a physical presence in the post. He averaged 7.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and just under one block per game.

Jackson started six games and averaged 6.0 points and 4.1 rebounds as a sophomore. He missed 10 games in the middle of the year with an eye injury, but still produced 30 blocks in 25 appearances. Jackson set the program’s postseason record for blocks in a game with four in WSU’s NIT win over Santa Clara.

Coming into this season, the Cougars expected Jackson to adopt a full-time starting role . But he announced in late September that he’d be sidelined for an indefinite amount of time with a medical issue. Jackson supported his teammates from the bench during most games this season.

His absence left WSU undermanned in the frontcourt and forced the Cougars to lean heavily on sophomore Mouhamed Gueye, who spent all of his time at center after mostly playing power forward the year before. Gueye stepped up and landed on the All-Pac-12 first team. He is considered a prospect for this year’s NBA draft and will decide in the coming months whether to pursue a pro career or return to WSU.

With Jackson transferring out and Gueye’s future uncertain, the Cougars’ frontcourt may cause some concern, but there’s reason to feel optimistic about WSU’s post personnel next season. The Cougars are bringing in a couple of well-regarded recruits and will return 7-footer Adrame Diongue, who appeared in 23 games as a true freshman this year and averaged 1.8 rebounds in 6.3 minutes per game.

Nigeria native Rueben Chinyelu, an NBA Academy Africa product who competes in the Basketball Africa League (BAL), signed with the Cougars in November. The 6-10, 245-pounder is a four-star player and the No. 3-rated WSU recruit since 2000, according to 247Sports – Chinyelu ranks behind Klay Thompson and Diongue, and sits one spot ahead of Gueye.

The Cougars also signed Oscar Cluff, a 6-10 junior college transfer who averaged 12 points and 10.8 rebounds per game while shooting 75% from the field this past season at Cochise College in Arizona.