SIUC sophomore Chris Thunell learned that good things come to those who wait.

After transferring from Florida International University and sitting out last season, Thunell received the best gift of all from the Missouri Valley Conference Tuesday afternoon. The 6-foot-9 forward was named the conference’s Newcomer of the Year at a press conference at SIU Arena.

It’s definitely a great honor, Thunell said. But a lot of the credit goes to my teammates. I couldn’t have done it without them. I just wish we could have done a little bit better.

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Thunell joined Kenny Perry as the only Saluki to win the Valley’s Newcomer of the Year award since its inception in 1968. Perry averaged 13.4 points per game to lead SIUC to a 15-13 record in 1983-84.

Illinois State junior Rico Hill was named the conference’s Player of the Year, while Creighton’s Ryan Sears earned Freshman of the Year honors. Bradley’s Adebayo Akinkunle took home Defensive Player of the Year and Creighton’s Doug Swenson won the Sixth Man award.

SIUC senior forward Rashad Tucker earned second team All-Conference honors, while Thunell, junior guard Monte Jenkins and senior guard Shane Hawkins earned honorable mention.

After a slow start, Thunell has been a bright spot in a disappointing 13-15 season and eighth-place finish in conference play for the Salukis. Thunell finished fourth among the Salukis and 19th in the conference in scoring at 12.4 points per game, but it was his rebounding that set him apart.

Thunell captured the Valley rebounding title with 8.6 boards per game, beating Indiana State senior Jayson Wells (8.3), Akinkunle (8.2) and Hill (8.0). Thunell also finished ninth in the Valley in three-point percentage at .417 and 14th in three-pointers per game with 1.79.

Thunell scored just 25 points in SIUC’s first four games but heated up as the season progressed. Thunell scored double figures in nine of the Salukis’ last 10 regular season games, including two games with more than 20 points.

Thunell notched career highs in scoring with 27 in a 106-78 win over SMSU at SIU Arena Jan. 15 and in rebounding with 14 twice this season. Thunell also sparked the 70-66 win over Bradley Saturday with 16 of his game-high 24 points in the first half. The sophomore also hit two big free throws to help SIUC seal the win down the stretch.

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It’s been a nice surprise, Thunell said. I’ve always known what I was capable of doing. I just didn’t know how I would fit in with this year’s squad.

It was just a matter of me finding out my role on the team. When the Valley regular season started, I think I started fitting into my role and what I needed to do.

Thunell had a standout career at O’Fallon High School, where he received MVP honors his senior season at the Belleville East Invitational as his team won back-to-back championships at the tournament.

Thunell chose Florida International over SIUC, and he averaged 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds in starting 18 of 28 games for the Golden Panthers. Thunell showed the ability to shoot the ball as well as pound inside with a .477 shooting percentage from the field, .369 mark from behind the three-point arc and .837 at the free throw line.

But Thunell decided Florida was not the place for him and decided to return to Southern Illinois. In accordance with NCAA transfer rules, Thunell sat out last season after transferring from one Division I school to another. The year off helped him get ready for this season, but it was not an experience he would want to go through again.

When you sit out, you realize how much you miss the game, Thunell said. When you come out, you’ve got a different look at it because when you love something so much and it’s taken away from you for a year, it really puts something on your mind.

Pushing individual honors aside, Thunell is now ready to help the Salukis win the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament this weekend in St. Louis. SIUC opens play against ninth-seed University of Northern Iowa Friday at 6:05 p.m.

Right now, we’ve got to really concentrate on the tournament coming up, Thunell said. It’s definitely a great honor, but right now you don’t want it to be a big distraction going into the tournament.