“I lived in a dictatorship household,” he joked. “My mom was very strict. Academics came first before basketball. There were certain requirements I needed to meet in order to play. That’s what really helped me get to where I am, just the fact that I had to have that importance in school, because if I didn’t, I might not have taken it seriously.”
Barnes’ mother worked as a secretary in the Iowa State University music school, so she set very high standards for Harrison as he climbed the basketball ladder and eventually gained national notoriety while still at Ames High School: He said he had to maintain a 3.