Of Chesterfield County’s 11 comprehensive public high schools, Carver College and Career Academy is by far the newest — it’s now in its fourth year — and the smallest with 254 students.

Many longtime residents don’t even know where it’s located or anything about it.

Nonetheless, Mikael Jaaber, who answers to “Mick,” is dribbling overtime to lift Carver Academy and Wolverines basketball more into the public eye.

The whippet-quick, ultra-lean, 6-foot, 135-pound Jaaber has averaged 20 points while leading Carver Academy to an 18-5 record and the Tidewater District championship.

The Wolverines were the top seed in the Class 1, Region B playoffs opening this week. The team’s goal is no less than capturing the state Class 1 title next month at the Virginia Commonwealth University Siegel Center.

Jaaber is a third-year starting guard under no-nonsense Coach Reggie Simon, a former Hopewell High School standout whose day job is as a Hopewell probation officer.

Jaaber has both the name and the game for success. His father is Luqman Jaaber, one of the top 10 players ever to come out of Richmond. As a senior at Richmond’s George Wythe High School, Luqman Jaaber was named Times-Dispatch Player of the Year. He went on to lead Virginia Union University to the 2005 NCAA Division II championship and eventually became the Panthers’ head coach.

Mick’s uncle, Ibrahim Jaaber, is among the all-time greats at the University of Pennsylvania.

Luqman Jaaber now serves as Carver Academy’s junior varsity coach — the JV team went 17-1 this season — and as a varsity assistant under Coach Simon. He is also a popular clinician around the area.

Jaaber relishes his father’s legendary status, but insists they are not so much alike in style.

“Dad was pass-first guard. I’m more of a shooting guard, a scorer. I look for my shot more than him,” the younger Jaaber explained.

Here’s how Luqman Jaaber assesses his son: “He still has so much to learn. But he’s growing at a steady pace. He’s finally growing wings.”

The father and son have spent endless hours in the offseason drilling at the Ben Wallace Gym on North Side.

The efforts have paid off. As a more confident senior, Jaaber has flourished. In Carver Academy’s final regular season game, a 71-53 win over King & Queen Central High School, Jaaber had 18 points, five steals and three assists, a stat line his dad would be proud of.

Jaaber played his freshman season on the Chesterfield County’s Manchester High School junior varsity team before transferring to Carver Academy, which is located off state Route 10 between L.C. Bird and Thomas Dale high schools.

Jaaber likely will spend the next school year at a prep school. That will give him more time to add some weight and strength and to sharpen his skills.

Eventually Jaaber hopes to play NCAA Division I college basketball. He’s quick to say Syracuse University is his preferred college team and former Syracuse star Carmelo Anthony is his all-time favorite player — besides his dad, of course.

“Love the Orange,” he said with a wide smile.

Carver Academy is much like other schools, but there are differences. For example, in addition to the regular curriculum, students can have majors. Students from all over the county can apply to attend, regardless of where they live within Chesterfield.

Jaaber’s specialty is carpentry construction. His projects included building a chicken coop at school going by blueprints.

Some history is needed. The academy is located in the same building that housed George Washington Carver High School, an all-black school from 1948 to 1970, during school segregation.

Carver Academy’s athletic rivals included Southside High School in Dinwiddie, Gandy High School in Ashland, Russell Grove High School in Amelia, East End High School in South Hill and Virginia Randolph School in Glen Allen.

Later, after full integration of state schools, the building became the home of Carver Middle School, then Phoenix Academy, followed by Chesterfield Community High.

Sports teams at Chesterfield Community were known as the Eagles. But Carver Academy has gone back to the original Carver High mascot, the Wolverines. The basketball team plays in the same gym used decades ago by Carver High School, one of the last schools to play in the former Virginia Interscholastic Association.

The gym has a first class wooden court, but has bleachers only on one side, with a seating capacity of about 200. There is some additional seating in the raised end zone that also serves as an assembly stage.

Carver High School produced many athletic standouts, most notably pitcher Jesse Jefferson, who went on to enjoy major league stardom. Old Carver’s last basketball teams featured All-State VIA Theophalis May, who was among the state’s premier players at the time.

VIA schools were split into three divisions based on enrollment. Carver was a perennial Division 2 power.

Now a half-century later, not much has changed. The young athletes at Carver Academy can play some ball, albeit in relative obscurity.