Bella Pelaia was rudderless.

A player without a position.

A player without a role.

The Mars graduate and freshman on the Mount St. Mary's women's basketball team did her best to find a niche on a team that went on to win the Northeast Conference Tournament.

Things just never clicked for the 6-footer listed as a forward.

“I didn't really know where I fit in,” Pelaia said. “I could do a little bit of everything, but I didn't have that one specific role. It was definitely hard. Also, everything was new to me.”

Pelaia, though, didn't pout.

When she did play — she averaged 3.4 minutes in 14 games — she tried to make as much of an impact as she could.

It was a stark difference for Pelaia from her days at Mars when she was the go-to player.

As a senior for the Planets, Pelaia rarely came off the court and averaged a double-double (17 points, 10 rebounds per game).

“It was definitely hard coming from being the main focus on a team to college and not getting many minutes at all,” Pelaia said. “There were some games I didn't even get in, which was definitely frustrating.

“I never got discouraged,” Pelaia added. “I mean, deep down, I'm not going to lie, it stunk, but I knew I was here for a reason. I know that I'm a good player.”

This year, Pelaia is setting out to prove that.

She's already reported to The Mount to get in extra work. She's hitting the weight room harder than she ever has before and she's diving into the new offense installed by first-year coach Antoine White, who was the associate head coach under Maria Marchesano last year.

Marchesano left to take over the women's basketball program a Purdue Fort Wayne.

“My biggest issue last year was I wasn't as strong as I wanted to be,” Pelaia said. “So coming in early and getting an extra month to lift has been really beneficial.”

White's offense is also less structured, which Pelaia said should benefit her as well.

“Last year our plays were very set in stone and were also designed for certain people,” Pelaia said. “They were really great plays, it just didn't fit well for me. I can already see the difference when we're playing pick-up. I definitely have more opportunities to score.”

Pelaia admits she still has a lot of work to do to get more minutes.

The team returns many of the players who keyed the conference tournament run and the appearance in the NCAA Division I tournament.

Because of the extra year of eligibility granted because of the COVID-19 pandemic, The Mount will have three graduate students on the roster this year.

All three made a significant impact as seniors last season.

The rest of the team is young with Pelaia in the mix.

It's a strange dynamic, but one that has worked so far, White said.

“We pretty much have our main core back,” White said. “For them to exercise that extra year of eligibility was important for me. This team gets along so well off the court.”

Pelaia said it's interesting how the vast mix of ages and experience has meshed so seemlessly.

“We're all 19-year-olds hanging out with 22- and 23-year-olds,” Pelaia said. “It's kind of crazy, because we do everything with them and they do a really good job incorporating is into team stuff on and off the court.”

Pelaia said she believes her second year at The Mount will turn out much more productive than the first, thanks in large part to the help from those older players.

“I'm playing with a bunch of great teammates,” Pelaia said. “They push me and I'm going to keep working. I need to be more competitive and I've already seen that aspect of my game grow. I can already see the improvements I've made in my competitiveness and my confidence.”