Where Are They Now? Cathy Engelbrecht
12/16/2020 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball, My GW: Celebrating our Stories
Women's basketball alumna found passion for nutrition during pro career
During her pro basketball career, Cathy (Joens) Engelbrecht learned that everybody has their own idea of a proper pre-game meal.
In Spain, the GW alumna grew used to pork on the menu. Her French teams favored a steak, with dessert to follow, in the countdown to tip-off.
Each stop required an adjustment for the California native who grew up with chicken and pasta as her go-to gameday fare.
The science behind which one might be best was intriguing for the decorated guard who'd earned her Exercise Science degree and a master's in Health Promotion/Disease Prevention from GW.
"It's such a huge thing now," said Engelbrecht, a GW Athletic Hall of Famer who went on to log a decade as a pro including two seasons with the WNBA's Chicago Sky. "Everyone now is looking at everything they can do to be the best."
"Nutrition's just one of those things that fits right in there. Back then, people didn't know so much about it, but there's so much to it that can make an impact for you."
Engelbrecht's curiosity drove her studies to become a certified dietitian, and that decision has set her up for an interesting post-playing career.
While balancing full-time mom duties to 5-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Jonah, Engelbrecht keeps busy as a nutrition consultant catering to clients of all ages across the world of sports and beyond.
Along the way, she still finds herself leaning on lessons learned in Foggy Bottom under head coach Joe McKeown.
"My priorities have obviously changed, but I think just that whole rigorous experience of being a student-athlete at GW and the level of expectation that Joe wanted us to have helped me transition to where I am now," said Engelbrecht, who still spends time abroad supporting her husband Patrick, the director of global scouting and international affairs for the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
Hailing from a family featuring eight kids in Irvine, Calif., Engelbrecht found a fit academically and athletically far from home in the nation's capital.
Arriving in the fall of 1999, the gifted outside shooter was excited about the chance to carry on the Buff and Blue's tradition of success, and she believes that culture helped bring out her best.
"When we got there, it was just expected that you were to win and play at a certain level and play a certain way," Engelbrecht said. "That just makes it nice because there was already a path carved for us before we got there. We knew what was expected, and it was just a trickle down from previous generations that had played for Joe as part of this unbelievable program he'd built."
The result was four NCAA Tournament appearances, three A-10 First Team selections, two conference Player of the Year awards and an All-American nod.
Engelbrecht's favorite highlights included winning the 2003 A-10 Tournament title on GW's home court at Smith Center and a slew of behind-the-scenes moments with her teammates, including fellow Hall of Famers Ugo Oha, Elisa Aguilar and Anna Montañana, that remain as special as the on-court accomplishments.
"Just being so close, it was like a mini sorority," said Engelbrecht, who remains third on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,802 points. "My fondest memories are just being with my teammates playing and being successful with them."
Engelbrecht had her eye on medical school until her hoops career took off. A draft pick of the WNBA's New York Liberty, she ended up playing 10 pro seasons with stints in France, Spain and Israel, in addition to her time with the Sky in 2007 and 2008.
Engelbrecht's travels allowed her and Patrick, who was first a player himself and later worked for the NBA abroad, to see the world in a way that she never would've thought possible.
At the same time, she continued to push forward her education, making the most of the natural downtime in a pro schedule. She earned her master's from GW in 2009 before adding a degree in dietetics in 2013, completing much of the work online on buses and planes.
Those studies put her on the cutting edge of sports science. She's been pleased to see the field continue to grow over the past decade.
"Even when I was in the WNBA, we had a strength and conditioning coach who wasn't a dietitian or a nutritionist," Engelbrecht said. "Now you look and everyone has one. It's such an integral part of what teams are doing. They realize how important it is."
That background also became particularly valuable later as her playing career was winding down, especially learning which foods offer healthy fats and natural anti-inflammatory properties amid a grueling season.
"A lot of the nutrition helps once you get a little bit older and then you're fighting your own body a little bit," Engelbrecht said. "I think a lot of that stuff came in handy for me. I typically ate a very healthy diet, but it also changed once I got to Europe and I tasted more things and figured out what worked best for me."
Through the years, Engelbrecht has had the chance to share her message on the importance of a healthy lifestyle through hoops-based initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.
In retirement, she continues to work with athletes, including some basketball players through her husband's connections, while also providing counsel to everyday folks and families who need help managing their diet in response to conditions like celiac disease or diabetes.
These days, being a mom comes first, especially this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She and the boys accompany Patrick on his work travels when they can, providing her the chance to catch up with friends from her pro career.
Patrick's job with the 2019 NBA champion Raptors ensures he crosses paths with many faces from his wife's past, whether it's McKeown or former Colonial contemporaries like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Greg Collucci and Mike Hall. In those moments, he'll often ring her and pass off the phone for a quick walk down Buff and Blue memory lane.
"There's so many GW connections throughout the basketball community," Engelbrecht said. "It's always interesting to hear where they are in their lives. It's a lot of fun to run into people and to see how they're doing and where the sport has led them."
In Spain, the GW alumna grew used to pork on the menu. Her French teams favored a steak, with dessert to follow, in the countdown to tip-off.
Each stop required an adjustment for the California native who grew up with chicken and pasta as her go-to gameday fare.
The science behind which one might be best was intriguing for the decorated guard who'd earned her Exercise Science degree and a master's in Health Promotion/Disease Prevention from GW.
"It's such a huge thing now," said Engelbrecht, a GW Athletic Hall of Famer who went on to log a decade as a pro including two seasons with the WNBA's Chicago Sky. "Everyone now is looking at everything they can do to be the best."
"Nutrition's just one of those things that fits right in there. Back then, people didn't know so much about it, but there's so much to it that can make an impact for you."
Engelbrecht's curiosity drove her studies to become a certified dietitian, and that decision has set her up for an interesting post-playing career.
While balancing full-time mom duties to 5-year-old Noah and 3-year-old Jonah, Engelbrecht keeps busy as a nutrition consultant catering to clients of all ages across the world of sports and beyond.
Along the way, she still finds herself leaning on lessons learned in Foggy Bottom under head coach Joe McKeown.
"My priorities have obviously changed, but I think just that whole rigorous experience of being a student-athlete at GW and the level of expectation that Joe wanted us to have helped me transition to where I am now," said Engelbrecht, who still spends time abroad supporting her husband Patrick, the director of global scouting and international affairs for the NBA's Toronto Raptors.
Hailing from a family featuring eight kids in Irvine, Calif., Engelbrecht found a fit academically and athletically far from home in the nation's capital.
Arriving in the fall of 1999, the gifted outside shooter was excited about the chance to carry on the Buff and Blue's tradition of success, and she believes that culture helped bring out her best.
"When we got there, it was just expected that you were to win and play at a certain level and play a certain way," Engelbrecht said. "That just makes it nice because there was already a path carved for us before we got there. We knew what was expected, and it was just a trickle down from previous generations that had played for Joe as part of this unbelievable program he'd built."
The result was four NCAA Tournament appearances, three A-10 First Team selections, two conference Player of the Year awards and an All-American nod.
Engelbrecht's favorite highlights included winning the 2003 A-10 Tournament title on GW's home court at Smith Center and a slew of behind-the-scenes moments with her teammates, including fellow Hall of Famers Ugo Oha, Elisa Aguilar and Anna Montañana, that remain as special as the on-court accomplishments.
"Just being so close, it was like a mini sorority," said Engelbrecht, who remains third on the program's all-time scoring list with 1,802 points. "My fondest memories are just being with my teammates playing and being successful with them."
Engelbrecht had her eye on medical school until her hoops career took off. A draft pick of the WNBA's New York Liberty, she ended up playing 10 pro seasons with stints in France, Spain and Israel, in addition to her time with the Sky in 2007 and 2008.
Engelbrecht's travels allowed her and Patrick, who was first a player himself and later worked for the NBA abroad, to see the world in a way that she never would've thought possible.
At the same time, she continued to push forward her education, making the most of the natural downtime in a pro schedule. She earned her master's from GW in 2009 before adding a degree in dietetics in 2013, completing much of the work online on buses and planes.
Those studies put her on the cutting edge of sports science. She's been pleased to see the field continue to grow over the past decade.
"Even when I was in the WNBA, we had a strength and conditioning coach who wasn't a dietitian or a nutritionist," Engelbrecht said. "Now you look and everyone has one. It's such an integral part of what teams are doing. They realize how important it is."
That background also became particularly valuable later as her playing career was winding down, especially learning which foods offer healthy fats and natural anti-inflammatory properties amid a grueling season.
"A lot of the nutrition helps once you get a little bit older and then you're fighting your own body a little bit," Engelbrecht said. "I think a lot of that stuff came in handy for me. I typically ate a very healthy diet, but it also changed once I got to Europe and I tasted more things and figured out what worked best for me."
Through the years, Engelbrecht has had the chance to share her message on the importance of a healthy lifestyle through hoops-based initiatives in the U.S. and abroad.
In retirement, she continues to work with athletes, including some basketball players through her husband's connections, while also providing counsel to everyday folks and families who need help managing their diet in response to conditions like celiac disease or diabetes.
These days, being a mom comes first, especially this year amid the COVID-19 pandemic. She and the boys accompany Patrick on his work travels when they can, providing her the chance to catch up with friends from her pro career.
Patrick's job with the 2019 NBA champion Raptors ensures he crosses paths with many faces from his wife's past, whether it's McKeown or former Colonial contemporaries like Pops Mensah-Bonsu, Greg Collucci and Mike Hall. In those moments, he'll often ring her and pass off the phone for a quick walk down Buff and Blue memory lane.
"There's so many GW connections throughout the basketball community," Engelbrecht said. "It's always interesting to hear where they are in their lives. It's a lot of fun to run into people and to see how they're doing and where the sport has led them."
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