AUGUSTA, Ga. -- The city of Augusta is a strange place.

Downtown on Broad Street, five strip joints sit within sight of the Chamber of Commerce. Up the street, a billboard for Curtis Baptist School (Home of the Crusaders) reads "Prepare for Life and Eternity". One gets the idea that the battle for salvation is fought right here on these sleepy southern streets.

All of which makes it a perfect site for Nike's Peach Jam, part of the month-long recruiting period in which college coaches prepare to barter for the souls of high school prospects.

	“	Big school, small school it really doesn't matter to me. Anywhere I go I'm going to make something happen. ”
		— Steve Hailey, Worcester (Mass.) Academy rising senior

With all due respect, the event actually takes place across the Savannah River in North Augusta, S.C. But hey, the coaches all stay in Georgia. The Riverview Park Activities Center (no smoking and no concealed weapons, please) houses four gyms in one building. Gymnasium 1, 2, 3 and 4 are written above each respective door, behind which college coaches hope to find potential prize ballers.

It looks like a place you'd expect to see a junior high game. Ironic, because like most post camp events, it's the little guys who stand out. They handle the ball, control the tempo, and often determine the game. The Peach Jam features several quality guards including Houston Hoops' Tack Minor, The Family's Brandon Cotton, and the Tallahassee Wildcats' Darius Washington (a junior).

But there are also a quartet of point guards, each with a different story that have played well.

Riverside Church's Gary Ervin continues to dominate all comp. He averaged 21 points through his first four games following a spectacular Nike Camp. Ervin will attend St. Thomas More (Conn.) prep school after finishing up at Brooklyn's Robeson High School. And what a difference a year has made.

After breaking his wrist during the school year, he actually looks stronger. He's quick and smart and gets to the tin at will.

"Last year I was a scorer but could play point," says Ervin. "Now I'm a point guard that can score. I proved I could get my teammates involved no matter what."

Ervin's strong play has attracted a wide range of schools including UConn, Alabama, Arizona, Mississippi State, Pittsburgh, NC State, Temple, and Memphis. During one game at Nike Camp, he put on a show for John Calipari, making sure to look over after each basket or dish. Both SEC schools are very interested to say the least.

One of the Peach Jam's best players, if not the most exciting, is also one of the smallest. All Ohio Red's Andrew Lavender stands only 5-foot-7, but he controls the tempo like no other point here.

Lavender repeatedly has killed the opposition with his crossover, managing to pass and score. Against Albany City Rocks, Lavender scored 22 and had seven assists. Against the Jackson (Miss.) Tigers the rising senior went for 28 points, four boards, three assists and five steals. Teaming with high school mate Brandon Foust (Columbus' Brookhaven), Lavender says he's intent on committing as a package. Foust already crossed Illinois off his list because they weren't interested in Lavender. Pittsburgh is one of Lavender's favorites.

"Brandon Knight is one of the best guards in the country," he says. "I like his game a lot. I'd like to go in and fill his shoes if I could."

The Albany City Rocks' Emmanuel Mayben may have been outplayed by Lavender in their team's matchup, but he's shown a ton of talent here. Just 15 and still growing, the 6-3 Mayben may end up as a wing, but for now he mans the point like a senior. Through Monday, he led the Jam in assists per game, half of which seem to come on his deft wraparound.

The Troy, N.Y., a rising sophomore (he hasn't even started thinking about college) is one of the few points in the nation who thinks pass first. He brings plenty of flair and swagger to the table and on occasion, some trash talk. "I'm not used to talking to guys but they all talk to me," he says. "But some peoples games don't measure up to mine. Then I don't say nothin'."

BABC's Steve Hailey also looks ready to make an impact. The 6-foot Worcester (Mass.) Academy point has had a solid Peach Jam. "He's salty," said one AAU coach. "Real salty."

On the court and off, Hailey is the consummate cool cat with the ultimate poker face. He says he's just calm. He makes great decisions with the ball and is nifty on baseline drives. Hailey, another top rising senior, wants to commit with BABC teammate Will Blalock and/or forward Courtney Simms. Currently, he lists N.C. State, UConn, Georgia, Charlotte and Memphis as possible schools.

"Big school, small school it really doesn't matter to me," he says. "Anywhere I go I'm going to make something happen."

But, like most players here, Hailey must wait a couple of weeks to find out who is really interested. The new NCAA rules have cut down on contact between AAU coaches and college coaches. The nods and the winks continue, but the real bartering doesn't begin until the first of August.

John Gustafson is a writer for ESPN The Magazine.