JOHN KOVACH | Colleges Hlebovy sparkles at Indiana State

TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- Celeste Hlebovy, a junior on the Indiana State women's basketball team from Boardman High, is finding success in the classroom and on the basketball court.
Hlebovy, a 6-0 forward, has helped the Sycamores to a No. 3 national academic ranking for the 2001-2002 school year when she was a sophomore.
She also has been a key factor in Indiana State's 7-2 record this season entering Saturday's game at Illinois State, which was the Missouri Valley Conference opener for both squads.
Hlebovy achieved a 3.76 grade-point average as a business major for the 2001-02 school year, while the Sycamores as a whole enjoyed a 3.462 GPA to place third on the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Honor Roll that was announced in October.
They were close behind Wyoming (3.486) and Toledo (3.465).
This season on the court, Hlebovy is averaging 5.8 points and 3.7 rebounds with 10 steals, while playing in all nine games and averaging 14.8 minutes an outing.
Reasons for improvement
She credits a lot of her success to preparation, experience and adaptability.
"In high school I always was a good student and that carried over into college," said Hlebovy, the daughter Mary and Dennis Hlebovy, who posted a 3.85 GPA in her freshman year. "You go to class, to practice and after practice at night you know you have to do your school work. My time is budgeted for that."
Her freshman year also laid the groundwork for achievement.
"When you are a freshman, you have mandatory study table hours and that kind of helps you as a freshman to get organized and setting a schedule. It's usually six hours a week in the evenings," said Hlebovy.
"They put you there to make sure you do your work as a freshman, and that will carry over during your sophomore, junior and senior years."
Her career ambition is "to work for a professional sports team," she said.
Excellent shooter
As a player, Hlebovy has excelled as a shooter, especially from the foul line, and is getting better every game. She has made 19-for-37 (51.4 percent) from the field and 13-for-17 (81.3 percent) from the foul line.
In fact, she went 6-for-6 from the foul line in ISU's 82-57 win over Eastern Illinois last Monday to extend her streak at the charity stripe to 12.
Hlebovy finished with 12 points in that win, marking the third time in the last five games that she has scored in double figures. She also grabbed seven rebounds.
"Recently I have been playing a lot better. I have been getting more minutes," said Hlebovy. "The experience has helped a lot being a junior, and being around a lot of games, so by now I have really started to capitalize on my experience.
"In high school, I was a good free throw shooter and it carried over to college."
New position helps
But a switch in positions this season from forward to guard also has made her a more effective player.
"They switched me outside because of my size. I am not as tall as most players in our conference," said Hlebovy. "I think that helped me because I can drive to the basket and be an outside shooter.
"This expands my offensive game, giving me a 1-2 punch I didn't have before."
She said she has been shooting "mostly jump shots, 3-pointers but also some inside" with her versatile offense.
All-Ohio at Boardman
While playing basketball at Boardman High, Hlebovy was a first-team All-Ohio selection in her junior and senior seasons under coach Ron Moschella.
And in her senior year, she was named the Ohio High School Girls Basketball Coaches Association Player of the Year for Division I.
kovach@vindy.com