Halcon Avenida are beginning pre-season training on Wednesday but will not be at full strength since several players are away on international duty.

Avenida are among the pre-season favorites to win the title in Spain and they should go deep into the EuroLeague Women post-season for a third straight year.

Belinda Snell will play in the World Championship for Women before completing the Spanish switch from Valencia to Salamanca

One negative to having a quality team, however, is that international competition prevents the coach from having his full squad together until shortly before the start of the campaign.

One player that will be a late arrival in Salamanca is Belinda Snell, an Australia international who is preparing for the FIBA World Championship for Women.

The Australians won the title four years ago in Brazil and Snell, who spent last season with Avenida's Spanish rivals Ros Casares, was a key player in that World Championship-winning side.

The majority of absentees for the Salamanca-based outfit, however, are players with Spain.

Anna Montanana, Alba Torrens and Sancho Lyttle are locks to make the Spanish squad while Silvia Dominguez is working out with Jose Hernandez's national team and trying to earn a place in the team.

Avenida will play in the Spanish Supercup against Ros Casares on October 3 with their first Liga Femenina game on October 10.