NEW ORLEANS – The Sun Belt Conference announced Tuesday the extension of its agreement with New Orleans-based First Bank and Trust (FBT) as the presenting sponsor of the Sun Belt Basketball Championships that will be held in Pensacola, FL on March 5-8, 2021. 
 
This agreement continues the long-standing partnership between the First Bank and Trust and the Sun Belt, and will provide the Bank with dominant brand exposure at the Pensacola Bay Center, which will host the SBC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships for the first time in 2021 as part of a 5-year agreement.  FBT will also receive prominent exposure through the Sun Belt’s digital and social media channels throughout the year.

"We value our partnership with First Bank and Trust and their continued commitment to supporting our student-athletes. For the past several years, they have been one of our leading partners,” said Sun Belt Commissioner Keith Gill. “We look forward to building an even stronger relationship with First Bank and Trust, to help promote the work they do in Sun Belt Conference communities.”  
 
“The Sun Belt Conference has been an important partner of ours for many years and we are proud to continue our support of this worthwhile organization,” said Gary Blossman, Chief Executive Officer of First Bank and Trust. “We look forward to another exciting SBC Basketball Championship, as well as all of the Olympic sports championships to be held this spring.”

First Bank and Trust is a strong, community bank headquartered in New Orleans, Louisiana with $1.2 billion in assets at year-end 2020.  Active in the communities in which they serve, FBT is known for its commitment to education and offers one of the largest tuition lending programs in the area. The Bank specializes in commercial and business banking with locations throughout southern Louisiana, Mississippi, and the Florida panhandle. 

The agreement extension was negotiated by the SBC’s multi-media rights partner Van Wagner.