It's not much more than a plain, blue and white banner.

It hangs in solitary confinement at one end of the rafters of the Bryce Jordan Center, meant to stand apart from the other tapestries heralding the men's basketball program's NIT accomplishments -- and what other limited success the Nittany Lions have had in the postseason.

"Nittany Lions 1954 NCAA Final Four."

Yet the banner, much like the accomplishment, fades into obscurity, dissolving against the similar blue background of the curtains used to hide rows of empty seats.

Fifty years since completing Penn State men's basketball's lone Final Four season, four members of that team are returning to Happy Valley for Basketball Alumni Weekend -- including all-time leading scorer and rebounder Jesse Arnelle, and captain Jack Sherry.

Penn State men's basketball coach Ed DeChellis admits to not knowing every detail about the '54 team, but points to it as one of the top moments in the program's history.

"It's a great accomplishment," DeChellis said. "Sometimes I think we have a lot more tradition here than we give ourselves credit for. It's important for our guys to interact with alumni and see that there's been a lot of support."

Even a player like Ndu Egekeze, who has been around for five seasons, is only peripherally aware of the team and Arnelle's standing in team history.

"It's something you don't realize until it's brought to your attention," he said. "Coach is right about tradition being there."