Pitt men’s basketball lands two former Iowa State transfers

With all the controversy in the NIL era in college athletics, the one benefit is the ability to completely overhaul a roster and begin anew. After a disappointing 17-15 season, the Panthers saw six major contributors enter the transfer portal or graduate. It is a fresh canvas for head coach Jeff Capel to fix the errors of the past year. 

Capel got commitments from two former Iowa State players — senior center Dishon Jackson and first-year guard Nojus Indrusaitis.

Pitt struggled in multiple facets of the game last year, but none more glaringly than rebounding, ranking 12th in the ACC in rebounding margin and 297th nationally in bench points per game. Jackson and Indrusaitis will look to support a new-look Pitt roster during the 2025-26 campaign.

Jackson will accompany a Pitt frontcourt that lost junior forwards Guillermo Diaz Graham and Jorge Diaz Graham, who were staples in the Pitt rotation over the last three seasons. He is joined by redshirt sophomore forward Papa Amadou Kante, sophomore forward Amdy Ndiaye and senior forward Cameron Corhen.

Corhen is the only one of the group who garnered major playing time for the Panthers last season. In 35 games last season for the Cyclones, the 6-foot-11 Jackson played 18.7 minutes and averaged 8.5 points to go along with 5.1 rebounds per game.

Jackson brings a big body to the Panthers’ post, an area that the team struggled in against stronger opponents. He is a high-motor big with potential to be a force on the glass. Jackson’s best performance came in the Big 12 tournament, where he tallied 10 points and 15 rebounds against Cincinnati in a 20-point victory.

Indrusaitis joins a young Pitt backcourt in first-year Brandin “Beebah” Cummings and incoming top-100 recruit Omari Witherspoon. Indrusaitis had a limited role, only playing in 15 games and averaging just over two minutes. What he lacks in experience, he makes up for in potential. The former top-75 recruit averaged 20.1 points, 4.1 rebounds and three assists during his time in FIBA’s U18 Eurobasket summer league playing for Lithuania. Indrusaitis brings play-making ability and athleticism to complement his six-foot-five frame. 

Jackson and Indrusaitis can become the next Iowa State transfers to impact the Panthers since Blake Hinson during the 2022 and 2023 seasons. Both players have high-impact potential and the ability to play in key roles, but Capel and his staff will need to figure out how to unlock the potential both players have showcased in their pasts.