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LAS VEGAS -- Marvin Menzies leaned in to the group and, intimating there was more of the story that could be told, asked with a laugh: You want the off-the-record-version or the real version?One reporter was working on a story, so on the record it was.UNLVs first-year coach spent the next few minutes inside a Las Vegas hotel conference room describing the ruse he used to help convince San Diego State coach Steve Fisher to hire him as an assistant.Menzies voice rose and fell with each plot twist, eyes gleaming, mischievous smirk growing to goatee-stretching belly laugh.The story reached a perfect crescendo, spilling a roar of laughter from the room into the hallway.The Menzies Effect at work.Marvin is instantly disarming as soon as you meet him. You feel like you have known him forever, Fisher said. Hes what you want someone to be.Menzies has a huge task in front of him, trying to turn around a UNLV program thats still trying to regain the magic from the Jerry Tarkanian years.Las Vegas teems with excitement when the Runnin Rebels are running and gunning, yet they havent given fans much reason to turn their attention toward the campus just east of The Strip.Previous coach Dave Rice was a sharp basketball mind, a UNLV alum and had the ability to bring in some of the nations top recruiting classes.But Rice did not win enough and may not have been flashy enough for a program had plenty of both under Tark the Shark.Though not the first choice to run the Runnin Rebels -- Chris Beard was initially hired, but bolted days later -- Menzies may be the perfect person to run the show.Like second-year UNLV football coach Tony Sanchez, Menzies knows the town, its people and the expectations of the job after working under Lon Kruger for a season.Menzies knows basketball after working under Fisher and Rick Pitino, coaches who have both won national championships. He is a proven winner, leading New Mexico State to the NCAA Tournament five times in nine seasons.The 55-year-old has plenty of recruiting chops, annually convincing some of the nations best players to play in Las Cruces.And Menzies has a bit of showman in him, comfortable and confident enough to be the center of attention no matter where he is.Marvin would be a perfect fit anywhere, Fisher said. Hes happy in his own skin wherever hes been.Menzies success comes, in part, from making people feel comfortable in theirs.A natural talker, hes like the life-of-the-party host who has guests in tears from a funny story, yet still makes sure everyone has what they need.Menzies has an innate ability to make people, even strangers, feel comfortable around him. He nurtures those relationships by staying in touch with the people hes met along the way, from former players, coaches, administrators to boosters.A lot of the success stories you have come from the relationships you have, Menzies said. Ive done well and done right by the guys that Ive had and can keep going back to that well.Creativity flows through every one of Menzies wells.From his early days as a coach, he has never been afraid to go against the grain or take a risk if he believes something will work.To get the job at San Diego State, Menzies hatched an elaborate plan -- more on that later -- and had a cartoonist draw a picture of Fisher, his assistant coach Brian Dutcher and Menzies together on the sideline of a game against UCLA. Above their heads were thought bubbles.Everybody is a true artist at heart; were all born with a certain level of creativity, a certain level of artistry, he said. If you trust your instincts and use your intuition and when you need to stay true to form, you can find some favorable results.Now, about that Fisher story.The year was 1999 and Menzies was an assistant coach at Santa Monica College. Fisher was in town to visit a recruit and Menzies knew there was no way the coach who won a national championship at Michigan would notice a junior college assistant.So Menzies hatched a plan.He knew a local restaurant that was filled with waiters waiting to be actors and went in ahead of time, giving them his credit card and telling them to act like he was the most well-known person in town.Menzies convinced Fisher to stop in for a bite while waiting for traffic to die down and the waiters put in Academy Award-winning performances, treating Menzies like Norm from Cheers. When Menzies whipped out his wallet -- with no credit card in it -- the waiters told him, Coach, your money is no good here.Menzies looked like the king of Santa Monica and Fisher walked away impressed.We laughed about it after the fact, Fisher said. He wanted to make sure I had a good impression of him, but he didnt have to do that.The Menzies Effect was already working.---More AP basketball at www.collegebasketball.ap.org Saquon Barkley Jersey . Nathan MacKinnon, Jamie McGinn and Jan Hejda also scored for the Avalanche, who won despite being outshot 38-23. MacKinnons goal, also on the power play, came with just over a minute remaining. Phil Simms Jersey . Durant finished with 24 points and 13 rebounds, Jackson matched his career high with 23 points on 10-of-14 shooting and Lamb scored 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting, lifting the Thunder to a 94-88 win over San Antonio and snapping the Spurs 11-game winning streak. http://www.giantsrookiestore.com/Giants-Carl-Banks-Jersey/ . Mitch Holmberg added a goal and three assists. Connor Chartier also scored for the Chiefs (3-0-0). Luke Harrison spoiled Garrett Hughsons shutout bid with a power-play goal at 13:17 of the third period. 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LONDON -- Prolonging his career in one of the toughest leagues, Zlatan Ibrahimovics predatory instincts endure.Manchester United was facing a fourth draw in five Premier League games on Wednesday until Ibrahimovic pounced in the 88th minute at Crystal Palace to seal a 2-1 victory.Four months into his United career, Ibrahimovic already has 13 goals -- and he even set up Paul Pogba for the first-half opener.After leaving Paris Saint-Germain, the 35-year-old striker could have taken the easy route and drifted toward retirement in one of the worlds well-paid but less demanding leagues.Instead, the Swede took on the challenge of filling the number nine jersey at one of the worlds biggest clubs. And Jose Mourinhos decision to add one of soccers notoriously biggest egos to the squad is paying dividends after 23 games.I told him England is not the best place to be on holidays for a rich guy, Mourinho said. When a rich guy with a great career wants holidays he doesnt come to England. You come to England if you want to be in the most difficult league in the world, if you want to prove yourself, if you want to show what you can do.So his decision to come here was based on that. So I am really happy because its not just about goals -- his goals, his leadership, his motivation, I am really happy with the big guy.That was clear at the final whistle when Mourinho embraced the man who restored Uniteds lead after James McAthurs equalizer.Thanks to Ibrahimovic, Mourinho has consecutive wins in the league for the first time since August and United remains three points behind fifth-place Tottenham.Palace is only three points above the relegation zone after one win in 10 matches, perilous form for manager Alan Pardew who has spoken of his job insecurity in recent weeks.Palace was gifting United space and possession for much of the first half, rarely breaking out of its own half.What United lacked as Wayne Rooney made his first league start in a month was a significant threat up front but the captain was coming cclosest.dddddddddddd A header from Rooney was off target and the strikers shot on the turn was repelled by goalkeeper Wayne Hennessey.United was fortunate to remain with 11 men after Marcos Rojos two-footed challenge on former Old Trafford winger Wilfried Zaha. The defender escaped with a yellow card.Hes an aggressive, clean player, Mourinho said, probably playing the best football of his career.Its not the best from Palace this season.In stoppage time at the end of the first half, Palace was punished by its inability to defend a set-piece but the hosts had legitimate grievances on two counts.Ibrahimovic initially appeared to chest down Juan Matas free kick into the path of Pogba. Replays, though, indicated that Ibrahimovics hand helped the ball along and Pogba was in an offside position when he turned the ball past Hennessey.The home fans were furious, jeering referee Craig Pawson at the interval. The players drew on the anger.Only United goalkeeper David de Gea at full stretch kept out McAthurs shot but he was beaten in the 66th minute.The leveler was stylish. Damien Delaney received the ball from Joel Ward, and a back-heeled flick-on enabled McArthur to slot past De Gea.United had a quick chance to regain the lead when Rooneys shot required a finger-tip save from Hennessey to keep the ball out the net.And if United was fortunate to benefit from refereeing decisions in the first half, the fortunes were now reversed.From the corner after Hennesseys save, Ledley raised an arm to block the ball. Pawson was surrounded by United players but no penalty was awarded.Mata did soon have the ball in the net but he was harshly adjudged to be offside when he met a downward header from Rojo.But there was no second reprieve for Palace when Pogba slickly threaded the ball through for Ibrahimovics late intervention, ensuring United left south London relieved rather than furious. ' ' '