Julius Ashby is hungry to win a championship.

One of the elite big men in the bj-league's eight-season history, Ashby has been a valuable pivotman for four franchises that have reached the postseason: Takamatsu Five Arrows (2006-07, championship runnerup), Tokyo Apache (2008-09 and 2009-10, two runnerup finishes), Niigata Albirex BB (2010-11, Final Four) and Shiga Lakestars (last season).

But the championship hardware has eluded him during his long career in Japan, which was interrupted by a one-year stint in the NBA Development League.