Point guard Naoto Takushi has agreed to terms on a contract with the Kyoto Hannaryz, the team announced in a news release over the weekend.
Takushi, a two-time bj-league All-Star, helped the Ryukyu Golden Kings win the championship last season but was left unprotected in May's expansion draft.
After the draft, there was speculation Takushi would refuse to join the team and either return to the JBL, where he previously played, or move on to an overseas league. Now, the expansion Hannaryz will look to Takushi, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 bj-league draft, to be one of the team's go-to players. Kyoto opens its season on Oct. 3.
Takushi led the bj-league in assists in 2007-08 and is the league's only Japanese player to be a Best Five selection in each of the past two seasons.