FanShot

Harrison Barnes hopes his brand takes flight - just like Mike

3

"Barnes’ brand potential appears high. He is smooth but unrevealing behind cameras and microphones, saying enough to be engaging but hardly anything controversial or offensive. Barnes has indeed created a public persona of a clean-cut, intelligent spokesman. He projects well the image of a polished businessman. What he lacks are the kind of identifiable moments that might have allowed him to transcend his sport in college. Jordan, for instance, became a household name at the end of his freshman season, when his late jump shot against Georgetown helped UNC win the 1982 national championship. Barnes was a two-time first-team All-ACC selection, and he helped lead the Tar Heels to two consecutive NCAA tournament regional finals. But there was no national championship, no national player of the year honors. In the harsh glare of the never-ending news cycle and amid the incessant chatter of social media, Barnes’ relative failures were magnified, especially during his poor two-game stretch during the Midwest regional. After UNC’s season ended against Kansas, Barnes spent nearly 20 minutes sitting in front of his locker, a towel over his head. That represented an end, but now comes a new beginning."