Adam Thistlewood, a 6-foot-7 versatile senior guard/forward from Golden High School, confirmed to the Reporter-Herald on Saturday night that he’s committed to play at Colorado State. Thistlewood is the first in-state recruit for CSU since Larry Eustachy signed J.D. Paige and Toby Van Ry in November 2013.

The first-team all-state selection is rated as a three-star recruit by 247Sports.com and is the first known commit for new CSU head coach Niko Medved. Thistlewood signed to play for Medved at Drake a year ago, but was released from that commitment after Medved was recently hired by Colorado State.

Thistlewood wanted to check out CSU before opening up his recruitment to other schools, so he visited Fort Collins on Friday. It’s safe to say he enjoyed the experience.

“It was great. The facilities are incredible,” he said. “Everything blew me away. I didn’t realize the resources they had. It was just incredible.

“I am beyond excited. I am so pumped to play for Coach Medved. I just can’t wait. I’m speechless. I believe so much in Coach Medved, and he believes so much in me. I can’t wait to get on the floor with him.”

Previously an assistant at CSU from 2007-13, Medved is already seeing his connections within the state pay off. However, it was one of his assistants, Ali Farokhmanesh, who was vital in Thistlewood’s recruitment.

“Ali recruited me at Drake. He called me pretty much every single day. We had phenomenal conversations. I was just blown away,” Thistlewood said. “They cared so much about me. They really believed in me — sometimes more than I believe in myself. That was monstrous.”

Thistlewood, who averaged 22.3 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.5 blocks a game for the Demons this past season as a senior, has another built-in connection to the program having grown up watching Pierce Hornung play at nearby Ralston Valley High School.

“My dad knows his dad, so I know Pierce,” Thistlewood said of Hornung, who was a standout on the court for the Rams from 2009-13 and is currently the team’s director of player development. “My brother graduated from Ralston Valley actually, so I grew up watching (Hornung).”

Thistlewood will bring some versatility to CSU with his ability to shoot or post up on one end of the floor and guard multiple positions on the other. He also had offers from Air Force, Davidson, Denver, Northern Colorado and was getting interest from some Ivy League schools.

Sean Star: sstar@reporter-herald.com or twitter.com/seanvstar