Former Comet hoops star Julie Mach takes her basketball talents to Aquinas College
After helping lead the Jonesville varsity girls prep hoops team to tournament and conference success in the past two seasons, 2023 Jonesville graduate Julie Mach will take her basketball talents to Aquinas College. Mach was joined by her family and Comet head coach Tom Dunn when she signed her letter of intent to join the Saints women's basketball program.
Mach will join WCA 2023 graduate Clemmie Gadwood as the second Hillsdale County girls basketball athlete to join the Saints this recruiting class. Both athletes were members of the past two All-Area Dream Teams. Aquinas has become one of the go-to spots for girls basketball players and both Mach and Gadwood will compete for early playing time with the Saints.
Path to Aquinas
Julie Mach says her basketball journey started out with her building her love for the game. After finding her confidence in the game, she then built upon her talents and became one of the top leaders of the Comet program in the past two years. Her success on the court helped push the Comet program to major successes in both her junior and senior years.
She was ready to take her career to the next level at several recruiting choices. Some of her other potential landing spots included Marian University in Fond du Lac, Wisconsin and Webster University in Webster Groves, Missouri. Mach said that her talks with other basketball programs and colleges did not have the same weight as the discussions and meetings she had with the Aquinas women's basketball program. Mach says that the structured and organization of the program appealed to her and spoke to her in a way that was different than her other potential college choices.
"There were a couple but the community at Aquinas was great," said Mach. "It's just a great school. The coaches were easy to work with and the program was very structured and organized. It spoke to me in a different way than the other colleges and coaches did."
After talking and visiting the campus, Mach had communications with former athletes at Aquinas and future teammates about their experiences. Mach says those discussions helped her see the future she would have as a basketball player for the Saints and also a student at Aquinas.
"The girls have been very helpful," said Mach. "A bunch have reached out to me about their experiences and really encouraged me to pursue this."
Julie's family has been supportive of her decision to join Aquinas. Her dad, John Mach, says the school size and coaches were major selling points for the rest of the family.
"It was the right fit for her," said John Mach. "The coaches treated her like she was family. Just like Jonesville is a small community, it will be the same at Aquinas. It will be a good challenge for her, and I want to thank Aquinas for giving her the opportunity."
Standout student and athlete
Mach plans to study elementary education at Aquinas. Julie Mach's grandmother was a teacher. Mach says her studies and time spent with her teachers at Jonesville Community Schools were the biggest inspiration for her future studies and potential career path.
"It's kind of something that's grown with me through school," said Mach.
Mach has been an honor roll student for her entire schooling career at Jonesville High School. Mach has received Academic All-State and All-Conference honors in her academic and athletic career. Mach was also a recipient of the Good Citizens Award from the Daughters of the American Revolution. Only one student per year may be honored as a school's DAR Good Citizen.
As Mach turns the page to collegiate basketball this fall, she looked back on her time with the Comet program and thanked her teammates and coaches for never giving up on her and for helping her find confidence in her hoops skills.
"I just want to thank them for never giving up on me," said Mach. "Sometimes, I was easy to get frustrated. I liked to work really hard, but I didn't have much confidence in myself. Coach Dunn helped me bring that confidence out."
While playing for head coach Tom Dunn, Mach was a part of a girls basketball team that won the Big 8 in the winter of 2021 and 2022. The team went 13-4 in 2021 and 18-4 in 2022. Mach stepped into a starting role in the winter of 2022 for the varsity girls prep hoops team, earning a spot on the honorable mention All-Area Dream team list. Mach was third on the team in total points scored and had the most three-pointers.
Mach and the team spent the offseason at summer camps together to prepare for their next season. As a senior, Mach became a three-point sharpshooter for the Comets. During her senior season, Mach led the team to their second straight Pool A Pat Paterson Tournament Title with a win over rival Reading. The team also defeated Homer and Union City twice during the regular season.
Read More: Comet girls prep hoops repeat at Pat Paterson Champs
Mach earned honorable mention all-conference honors and was named to the first team All-Area Dream Team. As a senior captain for the Comets, Mach was a recipient of the 2023 Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award. Mach averaged 6.7 points-a-game during her senior season and led the team with 39 three-pointers.
Despite ended the year with a losing record, Mach says some of her favorite Comet basketball memories were from her final year with the team. One of those memories was playing in the Court of Dreams event at Little Caesars Arena in Detroit. The team played Adrian Madison on the court of the LCA in front of hundreds of fans and family members.
Read More: Comets play at LCA
With the end of her high school academic and athletic career, Julie Mach wanted to thank her family for their support throughout her time at Jonesville. She thanked her dad, John Mach, for pushing her to be her best and for the countless hours spent taking her to practices and games.
"I want to thank him for pushing me to do my best and for spending countless hours with taking me to the gym, said Mach. "If it was midnight or any time of day, he was always there pushing me and working with me."
While Julie's time with the Comets has come to a close, another Mach will return to the Comet girls prep hoops team for their first season in the Cascades Conference. Julie's sister, Haley Mach, will return as a point guard for Jonesville for her junior year. Haley had an ACL tear that ended her season this past season, but she will be one of the key returners who will look to start the Comets reign in the Cascades off with a winning season. Tom Dunn is slated to return as head coach.
Aquinas College
Aquinas College is a private Roman Catholic liberal arts college in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The college is host to over 2,000 students and is a member of the NAIA collegiate athletics division. The university is a member of the Wolverine–Hoosier Athletic Conference. The university competes in 30 intercollegiate varsity sports.
The Saints women's basketball team is led by head coach Brian Morris, who has been at the helm for seven years.
This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Comet 2023 grad Julie Mach takes basketball talents to Aquinas
