Sophomore Ralph James, the 1988 Ivy League Rookie of the Year, is ineligible to play for the Harvard men's basketball team until December 18, Harvard Coach Pete Roby said Thursday.

According to Roby, James was placed on disciplinary probation by the Administrative Board and will miss the Crimson's first seven nonleague games.

James has been working out with the team, and is expected to return by the start of the Ivy League season, Roby said.

The coach would not elaborate on why James was placed on probation, and James refused to comment on it.

A highly-touted recruit coming out of Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, N.Y., James lived up to his billing in his freshman year, starting all 26 games. He led the Crimson in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 5.7 rebounds each game.

Last year, James tallied 376 points, just four points shy of the Harvard rookie record set in 1981 by Joe Carrabino '84-85, Harvard's all-time leading scorer. James' dazzling play sparked wide speculation that he would be the finest player in Harvard basketball history.

"We're just going to have to do the best we can until Ralph and everyone else comes back," Roby said.

Despite the absence of James and several other key players, a depleted Crimson squad overcame St. Francis Xavier University of Canada, 84-74, Thursday night in a pre-season scrimmage at Briggs Cage.

Co-Captain Mike Gielen led Harvard with 26 points, shooting a fiery 10-for-17 from the field--including 5-for-6 from three-point range. Gielen also had six assists and six steals.

Senior swingman Tedd Evers chipped in 17 points for the Crimson, while junior guard Scott Gilly came off the bench to toss in nine points.

Harvard had difficulty managing the Xavier press in the first period, falling behind, 40-39, at the half. But the Crimson rallied early in the second half to take a lead it would not give up.

In addition to James, Harvard was missing three other key players from last year's team--Co-Captain Neil Phillips, senior forward Kevin Collins and senior center Dave Lang. Phillips and Collins are now playing for the Harvard football team, while Lang is still recovering from the back surgery he had performed over the summer.

Junior forward Fred Schernecker and freshman center Eric Carter also did not play.

The Crimson opens its regular season November 26 at Boston College.