Dishon Jackson’s (now-deleted) Instagram post doesn’t mean he’s leaving

Washington State Cougars big man Dishon Jackson has no plans to transfer, according to a source at WSU.

Jackson seemed to indicate he was leaving the program when he shared a cryptic Instagram post in the immediate aftermath of the team’s NIT semifinal loss to Texas A&M on Tuesday — a post that has since been deleted:

The source indicated that Jackson posts this sort of thing at the end of every season, and it was not meant to indicate anything about his status with the team.

Retaining Jackson should be a top priority for the staff as it continues to build the program toward its first NCAA tournament appearance since 2008. The young big man has been snake bitten by injuries in his first two seasons, but when he’s been on the floor, he’s had an impact.

Jackson averaged 6 points and 4 rebounds this past season while markedly improving his efficiency; he’s proven to be a dependable post scorer, and he’s been a force on the glass on both ends. But that might not even be the full measure of his impact: His return from an eye injury this season coincided with WSU’s surge to the NIT, as the presence of a third legitimate big man did wonders for the Cougars’ frontcourt rotation — and their defense.

Perhaps most important is that Jackson is still young — not just that he was only a second-year freshman in 2022, but young for his class — and it takes big men in his mold time to develop. His brightest days are ahead.