Jan. 31, 2008

The National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) is excited to have State Farm Insurance as the official sponsor for the All-America teams and player of the year awards beginning with this 2007-08 season.

The State Farm Division I All-America team will be announced at a luncheon on Saturday, April 5, at 11:30 a.m., in San Antonio, as an integral part of the NABC Convention during the NCAA Men's Basketball Championships.

The State Farm Division I Player of the Year will be announced on Sunday, April 6, at the annual AT&T/NABC Guardians of the Game awards show at the Lila Cockrell Theatre in the Gonzalez Convention Center at 6 p.m. Players of the year for Divisions II and III, the National Intercollegiate Athletic Association (NAIA) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) will also be presented at the Guardians of the Game event.

State Farm, which also sponsors the All-America teams for all divisions of college basketball with the NABC, has supported and been involved in collegiate athletics and with higher education institutions for over 25 years. This includes a successful relationship with the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for the past three years, including the sponsoring of NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball, the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Championships and affiliations with 90 colleges and universities.

"It only seems fitting that State Farm is teaming up with the NABC to sponsor the All-America teams for college basketball," said NABC Executive Director Jim Haney. "The addition of this significant corporate partner can only enhance the recognition of the outstanding college athletes being honored with the most prestigious award of All-America." The NABC has been selecting men's college basketball All-America teams for the past 61 seasons with almost 900 individuals honored in NCAA Division I alone. The first NABC All-America team was selected in 1946-47 with a first and second team for nine seasons in Division I before adding a third team in 1955-56. In Division II, NABC All-America recognition was first bestowed in 1966-67 and Division III honored teams beginning in the 1976-77 season.