Warren East’s Ashley Rainey can start answering the phone again.

A four-year recruiting process officially came to a close Wednesday, when Rainey signed to play basketball at Louisville during a ceremony at Warren East High School.

Rainey, one of the frontrunners for 2009 Miss Kentucky Basketball, chose the Lady Cardinals over Western Kentucky and Vanderbilt.

“I’ve been nervous all week and I was nervous when I was up there signing it,” Rainey said. “It’s good to finally get it out of the way and concentrate on my senior year.”

Rainey verbally committed to Louisville in April, but she said Wednesday she continued to garner interest from other schools – even receiving a letter from one of them three weeks ago.

“I would have still concentrated on basketball even if I hadn’t committed early, but it feels good,” Rainey said. “First we have to concentrate on winning district and then going far in the region and then we want to try and win state.”

In her first three seasons at Warren East, Rainey has scored 2,292 points (25.5 ppg) and totaled 1,104 rebounds (12 rpg). She is on pace to shatter Jamie Britt’s Warren East career scoring record of 2,600 points.

Rainey was a first team all-state selection last season and has recorded double-doubles in all but one game in her prep career.

“She’s honestly the total package,” WE coach Angie Anderson said. “It’s obvious what she does statistically because that is right there in black and white, but what she does for teammates and what she does for our basketball program – how humble she is – I’m just so proud of her and her family.”

That humility was on display during the signing ceremony, when Rainey stopped the proceedings to thank her teammates for helping her reach this point in her career.

“How many kids while signing their national letter of intent stops and says, ‘I want my teammates to stand up. Let’s give them a round of applause?’ ” Anderson said. “She’s a great athlete, but she has characteristics that will make her successful after her basketball career is over.”

Rainey will join a Louisville team that is among the rising programs in the nation. Under first-year head coach Jeff Walz last season, the Cardinals finished 26-10, advancing to the Sweet 16 for the first time in school history.

Louisville enters the season ranked No. 10 in the nation – the highest ranking in program history.

“It’s going to be good,” Rainey said. “I feel like I’m already a part of the team now. The girls are awesome and I can’t wait to get up there.”