He is the unsung hero for one of the Euroleague's two undefeated teams through five games. On a roster full of better-known players, 26-year-old Winterthur FC Barcelona power forward Jordi Trias is making a name for himself now with selfless play and constant hustle. It is Trias who leads Barcelona in both rebounds and steals while ranking 13th in the Euroleague in performance index rating and 15th in assists. In other words, he is doing all the little things that make good teams great. And as he says in this Euroleague.net interview, Trias is quite happy with a role that hardly ever includes shooting. "I never step onto the court with the mentality of trying to score a lot of points," Trias told Euroleague.net. "I go out there with the idea of trying to contribute in other aspects that are as important as points: defend all the passing lines, put on full-court pressure... most of all I try to do all this kind of dirty work, if you want to call it that."
Hi Jordi. You're team is undefeated in Group C and you are contributing more than ever. How satisfied are you with the first five Euroleague games?
"Yes, we are, of course, satisfied with our Euroleague start so far. Five wins in five games is not easy, and even though we are halfway qualified for the Top 16, we still consider this regular season important and we have to remain focused. Nothing has ended yet."
You are also ranked 13th in performance rating in the entire Euroleague, which might surprise some people. Does it surprise you at all?
"Well, it doesn't surprise me in the sense that I always try to play my best for the team, and in the Euroleague I have been doing better this year than in past seasons. I understand that it might surprise some people, but what is most important to me is that I have contributed to the team's five wins."
Your are playing more than double your minutes of last season, scoring double, rebounding double, etc. What has changed to give you this newfound confidence?
"Right now I am playing with more confidence, that's for sure. The fact of having started the Euroleague so well has probably helped me to find this confidence you are talking about, to face the games with more tranquility. But I have always trusted my game, and even though these things move in cycles and streaks, I hope that this positive streak lasts some more so I can keep contributing for the team."
You do a lot without necessarily scoring. Is that basically your job description on this team full of born scorers?
 "Yes, Barca is a team that always has players with good offensive abilities. I never step onto the court with the mentality of trying to score a lot of points. I go out there with the idea of trying to contribute in other aspects that are as important as points: defend all the passing lines, put on full-court pressure... most of all I try to do all this kind of dirty work, if you want to call it that. About scoring, if that also arrives, great, but what I want is the coach to be happy with my work, and I think that he is right now."
The team is still perfect in the Euroleague, but is struggling in the Spanish League. How do you explain that?
"Well, it's difficult to find an easy explanation for that because to start with, we face all the games with the same mentality. I think the main difference is that in the Euroleague we started well right away, and in the Spanish League we had some problems. When it looked like we found our rhythm again in Spain, we lost twice in a row to Bruesa and Real Madrid. It's hard, but the positive thing about it, is that there are many games ahead of us and we can still fix the situation. However, the qualification for the Spanish King's Cup will be decided shortly and that is what worries us the most right now."
This summer brought multiple changes to the team. How was the period of adaption between newcomers, holdovers and the coach?
"The adaptation has been fast. There were players like Fran Vazquez who had no problems at all. Of course, he had played in Spain for several seasons now, and last year was in Girona, which is not so different from Barcelona regarding the language and things like that. There were also other players who are used to playing on some big teams and knew what it was all about, and they adapted quickly. Maybe on some occasions they have had small problems, but they are all excellent players and we are sure that they are very important for our team, because if they play well, they will surely help us take some titles this year."
This week you travel to Moscow for perhaps the biggest challenge of the season so far, playing the CSKA on its own floor. Is it a good moment for Barcelona to compare itself to the champs?
"I always think it is a good moment to play against a team like CSKA. We go there with the idea of doing things well, I think we can resist them. CSKA is a great team, I think they are proving it week after week and year after year. For us, the fact that we don't have a lot of pressure because of our Euroleague record can help us put on a good performance and I think we can also win."
Of course, Barcelona lost to CSKA in their Final Four semifinal game last season in Prague. Having been to the Final Four once, what kind of motivation is there for you to return?
 "The motivation is the same. We were in the Final Four and everything was nice, but when you lose there, everything has to start all over again, so the motivation remains intact. To me, regarding the Final Four, nothing has changed. I have the same motivation as before."
There are a couple of younger guys on Barcelona, but mostly players who are used to playing big, big games. How does all that experience influence the team so far, knowing that things are going well in the Euroleague but less so in the Spanish League?
"Yes. When you enter a negative streak, the fact of having an experienced roster surely helps. We have players who have played a lot of finals and important games, and that shows. I am sure that with the roster we have, so full of quality and experience, it is easier to go through tough situations than with a young team."
Winterthur FCB always aims for the top, which in this case means the Final Four. What teams do you expect will be challenging yours for the honor of competing at the Final Four in Athens?
"Well, I think I won't surprise anybody when I say the teams I consider as favorites. CSKA itself, for instance, they are always there. Panathinaikos also, is a team that has options to take the title. Olympiacos... the fact of playing the Final Four in Greece gives both those teams some extra motivation. Tau Ceramica, ourselves... Personally I would say those five teams. Maccabi also has a great team, but this year I don't see them as powerful as in previous years. Maybe I am wrong, but that's the feeling I have with them this year."
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