By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

When Caitlyn Isler started her career in women’s college basketball, she found herself in a brand new world.

Growing up in small-town Windham, with a population of just over 1,300 people, Isler was suddenly dropped into Long Island, N.Y., with a population of 8 million across its four counties.

More specifically, though, Isler’s first position was at Stony Brook University. Stony Brook, N.Y., a small hamlet of Long Island, has a population of 13,500.

“When I first moved to New York, it was brutal, just because of how much different and how much bigger it was to what I was used to,” Isler said. “I remember calling my parents and asking them, ‘What am I doing?’ I knew, though, that I had to get comfortable with being uncomfortable.”

Lucky for her, she always had one of her top comforts: Basketball.

Now in her ninth year in college women’s basketball, Isler is a veteran professional now working at Virginia Tech as the Director of Operations for the women’s basketball program under head coach Megan Duffy.

The 2026-27 season will be Isler’s third with the Hokies. She followed Duffy to Blacksburg after working under her in the same role for one season at Marquette University in Milwaukee, Wis.

Virginia Tech is Isler’s fifth stop in nine years, having previously worked in similar roles with women’s college basketball teams at Ohio State, Stony Brook, George Washington, Marquette and now Virginia Tech.

“Things can change rapidly in college athletics,” Isler said. “I think I knew going into this profession that this is what the lifestyle can be, but I don’t think I went in knowing I would move this much early in my career.

Two things have kept Isler focused and grounded, though.

“First, it is my passion for my career, and I am — and have been — extremely fortunate to work with people that make everything better and easier. Great people that I am grateful for. That makes things work, because I spend a lot more time with the people I work with than I do with my own family and friends.

“Second, it is my personality. I am outgoing, and I like to do new and different things, meet new people,” Isler added.

Isler’s newest move, to Blacksburg, has brought a special kind of comfort, because she said, “it reminds me a lot of home.”

Isler graduated from Windham in 2012 and is one of 10 players in Bombers girls basketball history to score 1,000 points, finishing with 1,056 points.

As the Hokies’ Director of Operations, Isler moves in and out of many different roles, with one of her primary responsibilities being travel and everything that comes with it, including planes, buses, hotels, food, equipment, and more.

“One thing I have learned as the years have gone by is that something is going to go wrong and being prepared for that before it happens is what is important,” Isler said. “That is something I have gotten a lot better with, finding a solution as quickly as we can.”

As the years have gone by, Isler said she has also experienced a significant change in college athletics, especially with a rise in popularity for women’s basketball. In Isler’s eyes, the ascent has heightened the awareness of what is possible.

“When I look back, I grew up in such a small place. I absolutely loved it. I love Windham, but I wasn’t afraid to branch out to see what else was out there,” Isler said.

For Isler, it was a brand new world, but with the same old basketball.