Cagers Launch Invasion Against Capital

He's back.

Nothing more need be said.

Harvard's Ralph James, the 1988 Ivy League men's basketball Rookie of the Year, will suit up for the first game of his sophomore season tomorrow night when the Crimson (2-4) faces American University at Dender Arena in Washington, D.C.

James led the Crimson in scoring and rebounding last season with 14.5 point and 5.7 rebounds per game. The 6-ft., 4-in. guard reached the double-digit mark in 21 of his 26 games last season. Harvard was 11-10 in the games that James scored 10 or more points and winless in the games in which he was limited to less than 10.

In his most memorable game last year, James almost single-handedly upset Dartmouth at Briggs Cage, tallying 34 points and snaring 11 rebounds in Harvard's 91-89 double-overtime loss.

"When one of our players makes an aggressive move, we can't seem to finish the play off," Harvard Coach Peter Roby said. "This win [over Vermont on Saturday,] will prove to them that they can beat a tough opponent on the road. The return of James should help in the same way."

"He adds tremendous defensive rebounding and scoring capability to our line-up and his ability to drive helps other people get open and do their jobs better," Roby said.

Whether it be a lack of openings in the lane or a reluctance to enter to paint, the Crimson has been plagued by the lack of a single player to drive through a seam in opposing defenses.

Middle of the Road

James' quickness should help open up the middle for Harvard's big men, junior center Mal Hollensteiner and freshman power forward Ron Mitchell. Mitchell is currently leading the team in scoring and rebounding with 13.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game.

"Ralph brings the ball inside and he has a good jumper on defense," freshman center Eric Carter said.

"I'm just looking forward to him coming back," Hollensteiner said.

American enters its game against the Crimson after suffering a 120-85 loss to DePaul last Wednesday night. The Eagles (3-1), however, have beaten Clark, George Washington and Navy this year.

Hailing from the Colonial Athletic Association, American is led by Captain Chuck West, senior guard Dale Spears (13.0 points per game) and junior center Ron Draper (16.0 p.p.g. and 12.0 r.p.g.).

Connecticut Mutual Classic

After spending this weekend in the nation's capital, Harvard will next compete December 28 in the Connecticut Mutual Classic at the Hartford Civic Center.

The Crimson will open the tournament at 9 p.m. against Big East powerhouse Connecticut. After falling to Purdue on the road earlier last week, the Huskies defeated Virginia, 68-63, to improve their record to 5-1.

UConn is outscoring opponents by 13.3 points per game and is led by Co-Captains Cliff Robinson and Phil Gamble. A 7-ft., 1-in. All-America candidate center, Robinson leads the squad in scoring and rebounding with 19.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Gamble has chipped in 10.3 points per game from the guard position. Also playing extremely well for the Huskies is sophomore forward Murray Williams, who is averaging 7.5 points and 4.0 rebounds per game.

Possible second-round opponents for the Crimson in the Connecticut Mutual Classic are Air Force from the Western Athletic Conference and Davidson University from the Southern Conference. Leading Scorers

Player  Average Ron Mitchell  13.3. Mike Gielen  13.2 Neil Phillips  11.4 Mal Hollensteiner  7.5 Fred Schernecker  6.0 Tedd Evers  5.6 Eric Carter  5.0 Mike Minor  5.0 Ian Smith  3.7 Scott Gilly  3.3