There were a few firsts for the Riverland Community College men’s basketball team when they opened their season in Riverland Gym Wednesday.

First year RCC head coach Derek Hahn was in his debut and 14 Blue Devils newcomers were in their first NJCAA game as RCC lost 94-89 to Presentation JV.

Sophomore Marcus Myers, who is from Milwaukee, Wis., shot the lights out for the RCC (0-1 overall) as he scored 36 points while going 12-for-16 from the field, 5-for-8 on 3-pointers and 7-for-7 from the free throw line.

“We all need to start working together in practice and start taking it more seriously,” Myers said. “I think we’ve got a lot of weapons and I think this game will show us that we’ve got to wake up.”

RCC shot just 36 percent from the field in Wednesday’s loss. The Blue Devils were only able to get to the free throw line 24 times, while Presentation shot 51 free throws.

RCC led by as many as eight in the first half, but its lead dwindled in the second half. Presentation took a 64-62 lead with 8:30 left in the game and RCC never tied or took the lead again.

Hahn said he’s still figuring out minutes on the team as he looks to figure out which freshmen are the most ready to contribute.

“We brought in a lot of guys because we only have two returning guys,” Hahn said. “Marcus and Dearionte [Hudson] played a lot of minutes last year and we expect them to fill big roles, but we’ve got a lot of new faces and a lot of guys that are going to need to contribute on a nightly basis for us to be successful.”

Hahn played for the Blue Devils from 2008-2010 and he was an assistant coach under former RCC head coach Scott Koenigs in the past few years. Hahn said he focused on defense in the past, but now he’s adjusting to being the head coach.

He said he has an advantage as a coach who used to play in the NJCAA.

“I think I have an idea of what to expect from opponents and I know the things that can work and the things that don’t really work,” Hahn said. “It’s definitely an advantage being somebody who had an opportunity to play in this league.”

One thing Hahn is sure of is he will continue to make sure Myers, who is a captain this season, is getting scoring opportunities on the court.

“Marcus is a guy who leads by example,” Hahn said. “He’s an excellent player and he’s come a long way on his vocalness as a leader. He’s a guy where I expect this from him. Thirty six points is a lot and he was very efficient, but he’s a guy we’re going to expect that from routinely this year.”

Marcus Meyers, 36; Dearionte Hudson, 16; Brandon Delvalle, 14; Jerome Cummings, 5; Chavel Glover, 4; Kyler Paulson, 4; Darius Bell, 3; Marcus Wynn, 3; Forrest Barber, 2; Donte Makazu, 2; field goals: 37 percent (32-for-88); 3-pointers: 27 percent (9-for-33); free throws: 67 percent (16-for-24); rebounds: 47 (Glover, 8); turnovers: 9