WISE – One of the most decorated and feared players in UVA Wise women's basketball history is back on the team, but this time it's on the sidelines as Caitlyn Ross returns as an assistant coach this year.

The Kingston, Tennessee native joins the staff after spending last season coaching at the middle and high school level.

She was a standout player for the Highland Cavaliers from 2019-24, setting several new program records; including starts (134), minutes played (4,584), points in a game (47), and assists (820). The 820 assists also set a new South Atlantic Conference record. Her 1,748 career points scored are the third-most in program history. She was also named to the CSC Academic All-District First Team during her final season, to the SAC All-Freshman team, and named All-SAC and SAC Player of the Week multiple times during her career. Ross is also one of the few Highland Cavalier women's basketball players to notch a triple-double during their career.

Prior to Wise, she was a standout at Midway High School where she helped guide the Green Wave to their first appearance in the Tennessee State Tournament in 17 years, scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds in her final game, a loss to eventual state champion Gibson County.  Ross was a two-time district MVP and was named to the Class A All-State Team following her senior season. She was also a standout softball player, earning all-district honors.

When asked about returning to Wise, Ross said, "I am excited to be back where it all came together for me. Being able to help the women on the team learn and grow throughout their many stages of life excites me and I hope that I can use some of my experience to get them through tougher challenges.

"I also am just really excited to be on the other side of sports and working/ learning from Coach Cluesman and all the knowledge that she has."

Ross and the staff are already hard at work preparing the team for the start of the 2025-26 season, which opens on Nov.14 as the Cavs take on Georgia Southwestern in the SAC vs. Peach Belt Conference Challenge in Bluffton, South Carolina.