Buffy's Basketballer Beau

By Stephen M. Silverman

06/25/1998 at 12:00 AM EDT

Basketball's loss is Buffy's gain, reports PEOPLE. Marc Blucas, 28, who plays the new love interest on The WB's "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," originally seemed destined for a professional hoop career. The handsome 6'2" bachelor was the star center on his Pennsylvania high school's basketball team, which led to a scholarship to Wake Forest University, where he played in four NCAA tournaments. The NBA didn't come knocking on his door, reports PEOPLE, so Blucas went to England, where he joined the Manchester Giants for a year. Landing a bit part as a hoopster in the 1996 movie "Eddie," "I caught the bug," he says -- though he was pretty bugged out when he auditioned for "Buffy" producers. At the time, he was suffering from muscle spasms in his back and had to prop himself up against a bookcase. "Sorry for wasting everyone's time," he announced. Which was just the quality they were looking for. "He has that 'Aw shucks' thing, with a slyness behind it," says "Buffy" creator Joss Wheldon, who hired Blucas.