Barnett's father was not in the picture. He was raised by Christine, who juggled two to three jobs, seven days a week, to support three children. Barnett attended a prestigious private high school in suburban Nashville that did not provide athletic scholarships. Christine needed to help with tuition. She worked the overnight shift at UPS — she has since become full time, reducing her employers to one — so Barnett would often awaken to his mother's returning from work. She took him to school, then went to another job.