Ashley Minayo reunites with coach Obilo at Stanbic Aces

Ashley, 25, arrives at Stanbic Aces from Zetech with experience forged in university competition, sharpened in league playoff battles, and tested on the continental stage with the national team.

Most significantly, she arrives alongside a familiar figure — Coach Maurie Obie' Obillo — under whom she developed into one of the country’s most disciplined shooting guards.

For Ashley, this move feels less like a leap into the unknown and more like a calculated next chapter.

Her basketball journey gathered momentum at Riara University, where she built a reputation as a composed, technically sound shooting guard.

Even then, she showed an instinctive understanding of spacing, drifting into open lanes, punishing defenders who sagged off her, and moving intelligently without the ball. She was not the loudest player on the floor, but she was often the most decisive.

Her performances at university level earned her a breakthrough opportunity in the 2021/2022 season when she was snapped up by Zetech University Sparks, competing in the Kenya Basketball Federation Women’s Premier League.

The step up demanded more than scoring ability. It demanded tactical maturity.

At Zetech, Ashley refined her role. She became a reliable perimeter option, comfortable coming off staggered screens and attacking hard close-outs with controlled aggression.

She developed into a dependable secondary ball-handler when defences pressured primary guards, and defensively, she embraced the responsibility of guarding some of the league’s quickest backcourt players.

It was during this period of growth that she earned a national team call-up at just 20 years old — a milestone that confirmed her upward trajectory.

Wearing the colours of the Kenya Women’s National Basketball Team, Ashley adapted quickly to the physicality and pace of international basketball.

In competitions such as the FIBA Women’s AfroBasket Qualifiers, she embraced a disciplined role, prioritising efficient shooting and defensive containment over individual flair.

Her versatility was further tested in the fast-paced format of the FIBA 3x3 Africa Cup, where she was part of the Kenyan side that secured a bronze medal. The demands of 3×3 basketball — constant switching, isolation defence and rapid shot creation — strengthened her one-on-one game and sharpened her decision-making under pressure.

Now, that experience follows her to Stanbic Aces, Crucially, so does Coach Obie.

The reunion adds an intriguing tactical dimension to the move. Obi understands Ashley’s strengths — her ability to stretch the floor, her discipline within structured sets, and her defensive awareness in rotation.

Under his system, she flourished before, particularly in controlled half-court offences that rely on movement and timing rather than isolation-heavy play.

For Stanbic Aces, Ashley brings floor spacing that can open driving lanes, composure in late-game situations, and the kind of defensive work rate that rarely makes headlines but often wins playoff possessions.

At 25, she is entering what many consider a guard’s prime — where experience meets confidence and instinct.

For Ashley, this is not merely a transfer. It is continuity, ambition, and perhaps unfinished business.

From Riara University to Zetech Sparks. From a 20-year-old national team debutant to a continental medallist.

Now to Stanbic Aces — reunited with the coach who helped shape her rise. In Kenyan women’s basketball, moves like this rarely happen without intention.

And if Ashley Minayo’s steady ascent is any indication, Stanbic Aces may have just secured more than a shooting guard. They may have secured a difference-maker.